08 Oct Matron Betsy Deen is Transforming Healthcare at Freetown’s Largest Hospital
Running a hospital isn’t an easy task — it takes leaders carefully orchestrating a sea of moving parts to keep operations running smoothly. Matron Betsy Deen is that person at Connaught Hospital’s surgical department in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
During Mercy Ships’ 2023-24 field service in Freetown, training opportunities were offered through Education, Training, and Advocacy (ETA) programmes, which helped strengthen the ties between Mercy Ships and Sierra Leone’s healthcare network.
As one of the 145 medical professionals who came on board the Global Mercy for training in Sierra Leone, Matron Deen became a familiar face. She helped bridge the connection between Mercy Ships and the healthcare staff she oversees in Freetown’s largest government hospital.
Meet Matron Deen
Matron Betsy Deen is the Surgical Matron at Connaught Hospital, a prominent position within Sierra Leone’s healthcare system. She has extensive experience in the surgical field, having started her nursing career in 1991 and specialising in perioperative nursing after training in Ghana.
In her role as Surgical Matron, Matron Deen primarily manages and organises all the surgical nurses’ schedules, practices, processes, and procedures before, during, and after a surgery occurs. She also helps foster an environment of continuous learning and improvement in healthcare services, ensuring that Sierra Leone’s healthcare system can meet the needs of its population more effectively.
Matron Deen spent several days on board the Global Mercy, shadowing nurses, nursing managers, and other hospital personnel. She experienced the ins and outs of surgical services, plus processes like hospital administration, scheduling, patient intake, outpatient structure, and patient flow – all of which are vital in keeping a hospital running smoothly.
“Through the ETA [programme], I was able to broaden my horizon of knowledge on various areas such as team building, patient safety, patient satisfaction, administration in the operating theatre, and sterile processing,” said Matron Deen.
As a result of the partnership with Mercy Ships, Matron Deen has expanded her knowledge and training to enhance medical capacity in Sierra Leone. This will directly impact the country’s development long after Mercy Ships sails to its next partner nation.
“The training that nurses are receiving [from Mercy Ships] is very important because the time that the nurse spends [provides them with the] opportunity to experience international standards. There are so many things for them to learn from the different hospital systems and processes that are in place,” Matron Deen explained.
“This is what I got from Mercy Ships,” Matron Deen continues, “I was able to take training back from an international hospital and then I can explain or train others that wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to the ship. And at the same time, I also look at myself as a whole and ask, ‘What can I do better?’”
Through her learning at Mercy Ships, Matron Deen has developed her own management style for her team at Connaught. She has also encouraged members of her own team to participate in simulation training aboard the Global Mercy – gaining valuable experience and knowledge they can then apply to their daily work to improve patient care.
“The most impactful to me was the opportunity to be part of the team briefing on the Global Mercy. The briefing takes place in the morning before the first case of the day, in the presence of all surgical team members to discuss plans. This is the organisation structure that I brought back to my own team.”
“Since I have been back, I have trained my team on how to understand our surgical schedules and lists better, how to anticipate cancellations, and how to address special needs, to name a few,” Deen explained.
Improving Surgical Care
The collaboration between Mercy Ships and the Ministry of Health helps to highlight surgery as a crucial medical speciality in Sierra Leone. By providing access to free surgical procedures and focused training, the partnership aims to save lives and improve the overall quality of healthcare.
“It’s the engagement between Mercy Ships and the Ministry of Health using Connaught as a pilot that I think is so very important because it enhances knowledge of current nurses but also shows other medical staff that surgery as a practice is critical in healthcare development,” Matron Deen said.
“I am a surgical nurse. That’s my specialty; that’s my area. And yet we have so many people in Sierra Leone who cannot get access to proper surgical care. So, this partnership between Mercy Ships and the Ministry of Health is very important because it not only continues to carry out free surgeries for people in high need in Sierra Leone, it also seeks to train healthcare personnel and gives them the opportunity to improve our knowledge,” she explained.
The long-term engagement with Mercy Ships is expected to have a significant positive impact on the healthcare system in Sierra Leone. Enhanced training and exposure to international standards of care will lead to better health outcomes and a more robust surgical system nationwide.
“We can focus on acquiring skills to implement at our facility level to strengthen our capacity. Training like this indirectly saves thousands of lives. And that is what Mercy Ships is doing and I just think it’s great,” Matron Deen explained.
In August 2024, the Global Mercy sailed back to Freetown at the invitation of the government of Sierra Leone to continue Mercy Ships’ mission of bringing hope and healing.
In this successive field service in Sierra Leone, the seventh time Mercy Ships has served in the country, crew will continue providing life-saving surgeries and ophthalmic care and expand ETA programmes to support more healthcare professionals like Matron Deen.
Change Lives, One Voyage at a Time
Mercy Ships is always on the lookout for volunteer crewmembers to assist in continuing its Education, Training, and Advocacy programmes, among many other roles available on board its hospital ships.
As a volunteer, you’ll be part of a dedicated crew that helps bring life-saving surgeries, healthcare, and hope to those who need it most. Whether you’re a medical professional, engineer, or someone with a passion for serving, you’ve got something special to share.