Your new surgery, cancer and outpatients’ divisional team
We’re delighted to announce that Laura Reiff-Zall and Waqar Iqbal have been appointed as the new substantive associate director of nursing and divisional manage for surgery, cancer and outpatients respectively. They will be working alongside Neil MacDonald, the newly appointed substantive divisional director for this division.
Laura, who has been a nurse for almost 20 years, started her journey at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where she worked in haematology. After five years, she moved to King’s College Hospital, followed by Guy’s and St Thomas’. During her career she worked her way up from matron to head of nursing, developing a passion for surgery along the way.
In her new role she will be responsible for, among other things, providing nursing leadership, implementing processes and protocols for the delivery of high-quality care, ensuring patients have a good experience and working to develop staff and progress their careers.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this team and to be at Newham Hospital,” says Laura. “I’ve been made to feel so welcome and I’m always greeted by smiles, from the security team through to colleagues I don’t even know! It makes coming to work more enjoyable, even on the hard days.
“I see how hard working and dedicated colleagues in the division are to their roles and to delivering great care. I look forward to working with them to take advantage of the opportunities we have for growth and development to their benefit and the benefit of patients.”
Working alongside her is Waqar Iqbal. Having received his master’s in pharmacy and working at University College London Hospital, he joined the NHS England graduate management training scheme. Upon graduating, he joined the surgery division at The Royal London, working in peri-operative medicine and surgery. After three years, he moved to Whipps Cross to be their general manager for surgery and critical, before joining Newham Hospital three weeks ago as the divisional manager for surgery, cancer and outpatients. He’s responsible for supporting teams to deliver the right care to patients, as soon as possible, at a high standard.
“It’s an exciting time to be joining team Newham,” says Waqar. “We’ve got the new theatres, new critical care and new ward opening next year, which is fantastic. And we’re working closely with borough partners to ensure we’re delivering the right care for the community.
“I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across all areas to establish Newham Hospital as a major player in day-case surgery across north east London and beyond and to advocate for the hospital and our community.”
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