Meet Catherine Hewson, our Cardiology Diagnostics Operations Manager

Catherine has joined our team as our Cardiology Diagnostics Operations Manager. Her focus is on developing a national department of Physiologists and Scientists to meet the additional capacity demands on Cardiology Diagnostics, while supporting individual team members personal development and career aspirations.

Read more about her:

What is your biggest achievement to date –personal or professional?

My passion outside work is horses and the latest addition to our herd is RSPCA rescue pony Sapphire. Before COVID we took part in our first showing class and won first prize, which was a special moment for both of us.

How does Xyla Elective Care make a difference for the Trusts?

As part of the Acacium Group, we can offer Trusts a range of services to support the need for increased capacity on already stretched Diagnostic Services. We will collaborate as a trusted partner and provide bespoke services, including robust audit and quality assessment, so the Trust can confidently let us take away some of the strain.

What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?

At weekends I’m often seen driving a tractor, much to the annoyance of other road users, and have taken part in vintage tractor ploughing matches. My best result was second place, so I need to keep practising.

Tell us about your career to date and any career highlights on the way

After leaving school I worked in a Care Home for a couple of years, quickly deciding nursing wouldn’t be the career for me. I joined the NHS in 1995 as a student Cardiac Technician and then worked my way up to lead Cardiac Physiologist for the Echo service, alongside lecturing at a local University part-time. An interesting experience during my time working in the NHS was a move into a new hospital building, merging the two existing sites. If you think moving home is stressful that was on a completely different level!

In 2007, I left the NHS to work for Philips as an Ultrasound Applications Specialist. I had various roles at Philips, most recently as an Ultrasound Account Manager. It was amazing to be involved with the development and release of innovative, ‘first of kind’ technologies such as 3D TOE, which of course we all take for granted now.

What do you believe is the future for Cardiology?

COVID has affected all our lives over the past 18 months, however, I believe one positive impact is how it’s accelerated the transformation and accessibility of IT platforms, enabling better connectivity for sharing information between people and places. This digital transformation is becoming more prevalent in Cardiology departments, from the real-time, remote sharing of scans direct from medical devices to the implementation of cloud-based analysis and reporting packages. Also, as the health service rallies to manage additional demand and maximize capacity, there will be continued expansion into Community settings, to ease the pressure on Acute hospitals and make Diagnostic Imaging more accessible to patients in safe, specialised Diagnostic Centres.

Lastly, what are you looking forward to the most at Xyla Elective Care?

As my next chapter begins, I’m looking forward to new challenges and working in a people-focused organisation. I really enjoy developing people and teams, so my priority will be leading and supporting Xyla’s growing national department of Cardiology Physiologists and Scientists. Succeeding in this complex and changing Healthcare landscape will require a creative response to continue building an effective and adaptive team, who can competently work in any environment from a community-based service through to providing complex, specialised Echoes in tertiary centres.