Reflexology in Burns and Plastic Surgery wards

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of Wednesday's Reflexology Wisdom. uh we are continuing our series of reflexologists who are working uh within a health care system and I'm incredibly stoked and excited to welcome Janet Stockley um to our um little series. Janet, please introduce yourself. Tell us what you do. >> Well, thank you for that introduction, David. My name's Janet Stockley and I'm a holistic therapist and I also work in the NHS on the Burns Plastics unit and also privately. >> Fabulous. So, I'm just wanting to tease a little bit more. That was a very understated, a very British um sort of introduction you gave gave yourself there because actually having talked to you just a little while ago, I am so impressed with what you do because you are actually employed by the NHS. Oh, look, we've got a beautiful little co-star. [laughter] >> I'm sorry I didn't pick her head. >> She's wonderful. She's wonderful. Um, by the way, so ladies and gentlemen, let me also introduce Angel Chanet's [laughter] beautiful little >> my coworker. >> Absolutely. Um, so yes, you're actually employed directly by the NHS >> in the Burns unit and also in the plastic surgery unit. >> Yes. >> Okay. That seriously that is something to shout and cheer about that we've got an NHS reflexologist as such because you guys are a rare breed. But the other thing that I'm so enthused about is that people like you when I started in reflexology years ago we had nobody working directly within the NHS. This is just so exciting. So tell me what do you do? How how does reflexology apply with a plastic surgery or a burns patient? >> Well, first of all, it all depends on where their injury site is or where their surgery site is. So it's not always applicable. So it's so we so we offer them a number of therapies, one of them being reflexology. So if they they've got no dressings to their feet or their lower legs, then we can do that as an option for them. So it means that I go into their room on the on the ward and um or onto because we have four bay wards as well. So I work on the four bay wards and then we you know then I'll do a therapy. So it will be literally you know some music on in the background. We'll set set them up. So the nice, as I always say, regardless of being in hospital, one of the positives about having reflexology in hospital is they can go to sleep and I can leave them in bed. >> In a private, >> that's often not the option. You have to get up and go out the door and pay. So, it's a good way for them to just stay in that space, you know, and that's their own little therapy space. Cuz I would imagine sleep could be incredibly difficult to achieve if you are in such pain such as a burns or plastic surgery patient would be. >> Exactly. And also, you know, sometimes it's stress as well. So, you know, they're they're stressed because obviously some of those patients I work with are cancer patients >> who are for dissections or reconstructive breast reconstruction after cancer. >> So, you know, sometimes it's that it's wards are also noisy. Yes. >> You know, so anything that sedates the nervous system is a bonus really. >> Yeah. And did I also hear you telling me that you sometimes work alongside the staff when dressings are being changed? >> I that's how I originally started in working in the NHS. So it was just doing a little bit of research that was funded about opting just opting for for having holistic therapy during dresses dressing changes as opposed to having some other form of pain relief. So that was the choice that a patient could choose. And then we did we we looked at where they were at and what the outcome was at the end. >> Brilliant. And so I would imagine that what you were offering um instead of having um local anesthetics or drugs, it was like a distraction therapy. [gasps] >> Yes, it was. Um because also they the only person they had to focus on was me. So So while the nurses that were doing their work doing their dressing changes because if you've got a complex wound, it can take many hours to do dressings, you know. So it meant that they just had to bring their attention to me and they could kind of just, you know, ignore what was going on around them and, you know, also have the benefit of that therapy as well. >> That sounds absolutely amazing. I tell you what, I'd like to try Well, no, I wouldn't like to try it because I wouldn't like to have to be in a position to need it. >> If I was, that actually sounds brilliant. Um, it really, really does. So you help clients with their sleep, you help them with their pain. >> Yes. >> And as it were, just as we know that we can do with reflexology, we can sedate the nervous system. >> Brilliant. >> Exactly. >> Fabulous. Is there How long have you been doing this for, Janet? >> In the NHS, I've been doing it now for 13 years. Um, but I've been working as a therapist for 20, how many years are 24 years? No, 24. Might be going on for 25 years. >> Wow. [laughter] >> When you go back into that darkened paste indeed. Would you all would you also be sort of like I tend to tell people it's the best job that you can do in the world? >> It is. And you know in and what I like about working in the NHS is I work I work with some lovely people and meeting the patients you know is it's a tremendous gift to me to work with the patients. >> Beautiful. >> You know I find that a real blessing in the job. >> Yeah. >> And if I can help that patient in any way that's a job well done to me. >> So how often do you do is this sort of weekly or daily? How how often do you do this? >> I just do it two two days two mornings a week. Uh so one one half day on the on the burns unit and then two half days on the plastics. >> Wow. That's just absolutely amazing. If anybody wanted to get into this field now, am I right in thinking that a consultant either reached out to you or you knew a consultant already that kind of brought you into the hospital? Oh, and by the way, by the way, guys, so this is Western Hospital on Mury Side. We're not talking about a hospice. We're not talking about charity funding or anything like this. This is a huge state-of-the-art general hospital where where Janet's working. I I did check it up. I had a look on the internet before I started interviewing you. Um, and it does look sort of a really really nice place to work. Um but so did the consultant know you or you knew him or what? Her sorry could be a her. >> No, it was um he just reached out to me um via email and said would I be interested in doing a little bit of research and it's something that I've always been interested in doing um out of curiosity coming from my holistic field. So, it was like I jumped at the chance, you know, to have that opportunity really. >> And that's I tell you what, that's a great thing for people watching this because there are I think there are some people that if they got presented with an opportunity like this, they might be thinking, "Oh dear, oh dear." Whereas you clearly just thought, "Yes, excellent. Let's go for And you just never know what doors are going to open once you have said that initial yes, do you? >> No, you don't. And um you know and you're working on because you have to have adaptability because you're working on a live ward. >> So you know you're working with ward rounds, you're working with medications, you know, medication rounds, you're working with dressing changes, you're working with the therapy team. [laughter] So, you know, you have to adapt to all of that comingings and goings of what's going in happening around you on that ward and fitting in the, you know, fitting in the patient as well. Yeah. >> So, yeah. >> Now, can I ask a qu This is a question that I haven't preempted you for. It's just something that's popped into my mind. >> So, obviously, you're part of a team. You're very very aware of the other people, the other roles within that team. Are you aware of anybody else who is a reflexologist that does something similar to you? Because clearly if you've been doing this for so many years at Western Hospital, they know that it works. They wouldn't be keeping you on in your role if there wasn't um viable outcomes. So, are you aware of other people that do the same sort of job that you do? >> Um, not on live on the ward I'm not aware of. Um, but as as you know that there's um on the oncology units um they can have access to some some therapies as part of their recovery or as they're going through their chemo. Um because that's sometimes when I'm what talking through cancer patients, you know, to for them to know that there are external services. Yes. >> If they find it of benefit. >> And that's that's the magic word you've just used, external services. But I'm just wondering, is there anybody else that you're aware of like you that's actually part of a hospital setting? Because I'm just wondering whether you're unique. >> I don't know really. Am I [laughter] as you know because because I know that there are people who work because I know you've you've spoken to people who do work around the hospital and connect with some consultants in their work but um not necessarily on the board. >> Yeah. >> Well, this is so exciting talking to you. I always say to my students when I start teaching, there's never been a more exciting time to be a reflexologist because every year it seems that we discover something new that there is closer and closer integration into the re into the the the medical world and you're there. You're doing it. You are blazing a trail if I can put it that way. I'm so grateful for you spending some time to chat with me on Wednesday's Reflexology Wisdom. It's truly been a delight to chat with you, Janet. Thank you so much for sharing. And uh guys, um I I bet there's a load of people s you're going to hear cheering from all around the country, all reflexologists going, "Yes, we've got somebody in the NHS and you're you're doing something very, very different." And what I would say is as well if there's anybody out there who is also working um within the healthcare setting, it doesn't matter if it's in the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, America, Canada, do get in touch because it would be lovely to hear of steps being taken into closer integration with established healthare systems. So, thank you so much for joining us, Janet. >> And thank you, David, for inviting me. It was lovely to speak to you. >> You're welcome. So, everybody stay well, stay safe, and look forward to seeing you on the next episode of Wednesday's Reflexology Wisdom. Bye-bye. >> Bye. [music] [music]