Hospital worker voted top of her profession

May 29^th 2001

June Carpenter, Head Orthoptist at West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust, has been elected as Chairman of the British Orthoptic Society.

Members of the Society voted for her in a recent election, and she will take up the post, which runs for three years, on July 12 at their AGM at Homerton College, Cambridge.

The Society is the professional body for British orthoptists, who treat defective eyesight.  It provides education, information and professional development for its members.

June, who lives in Kettlebaston near Lavenham, has worked at the West Suffolk Hospital since 1987. She trained at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and worked in hospitals in Kent before moving to Suffolk.

I am pleased to have been chosen for the role, and am flattered that my colleagues think I can do it, said June.  The job will be challenging, but it should provide many opportunities to improve communication within the profession and widen the services available to patients.

The Eye Department at the West Suffolk Hospital has seen regular increases in the number of patients referred to its specialist paediatric and adult motility clinics.  Referrals of patients with cataracts, glaucoma or other eye problems have also gone up over the past decade.  Last year the Department treated 3,500 new patients - a 10% increase in activity.

The department is busy and our workload is growing all the time, particularly in the specialist clinics, said June.  Also, an ageing population means an increased need for cataract surgery.  We are hoping to appoint another member of staff within the next month or so to help us meet this demand.

Johanna Finn, Trust Chief Executive, said: Congratulations are due to June for her election to this prestigious post.  It is good to see her hard work and clinical ability recognised in this way.  It also reflects well on the whole hospital when our staff are selected to head national professional bodies.