Farewell to Dr Woodmansey

Date of release: 9 March 2023

“He listens and he cares” and “The best boss I could have wished for”.

Just two of the accolades for Dr Paul Woodmansey, Consultant Cardiologist, who has hung up his stethoscope after 36 years with the NHS. The last eight of those were spent at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust based at New Cross Hospital in the Heart and Lung Centre.

Originally from Sheffield, Dr Woodmansey qualified as a doctor in 1986 and later moved to Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust before switching to RWT in 2015. As well as his cardiology work, he was briefly Chief Medical Officer at Mid Staffs.

“I’ve had a great career,” said Dr Woodmansey, 61, who lives in Walton, Stafford. “It’s been a huge privilege to serve my patients and I’ve made a lot of friends.

“I was made very welcome at Wolverhampton and I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with such fantastic colleagues at all levels. It’s a great place to work.

“I’ve worked with lots of different people but working with Fay Ahmad and the rest of the Echocardiology Team has been fantastic, as has the Cardio Rehabilitation Team led by Maria Glover. I’ve got lots of lovely memories.”

Dr Woodmansey said he was proud of his management work helping to make Stafford safe following the dissolving of that Trust.

At Mid Staffs he did a lot of work to improve patient safety, while at RWT, he has supported and educated junior doctors and students, and latterly, he helped establish an improved cholesterol treatment for heart attack patients.

A colleague of Dr Woodmansey’s for 20 years, Charles Spencer was initially the only other Consultant Cardiologist at Mid-Staffs, several years before they both switched to RWT.

“Paul played five-a-side football and I used to joke ‘I hope you don’t break anything because if you do, I’m the only other cardiologist in the hospital!” said Charles.

“He’s been a great guy to work with and a real team player. If there was a patient with a problem you were struggling to solve, you could always go to Paul and he’d come up with something sensible.

“People at New Cross really appreciated the way Paul integrated himself into the development of cardiology here. I don’t think he realises the esteem or the affection in which he is held.”

Maxine Dickens, Senior Medical Secretary to Dr Woodmansey for more than two decades, said: “He was the best boss I could have wished for. I feel privileged to have worked with him. The patients keep ringing saying  “He’s too young to retire!”

“Another rang and said “Who’s going to look after me? I trust him with my life!

“He was always going that extra mile – even if he was on crutches after injuring himself playing five-a-side!

“One thing said to me about him is “he listens and he cares” which are special traits to have.”

Dr Woodmansey is planning to travel with wife of 37 years Annica, 60 – also a retired doctor and latterly teaching assistant – and continue learning Swedish as his spouse is half Swedish.

He will also have more time to watch his beloved Sheffield Wednesday, where he and younger son Dan, 29, a police officer in Staffordshire, are season ticket holders. Elder son Chris, 32, is a registrar in an intensive care unit in London.

***ENDS***

Notes to Editor

• For further information, please call Tim Nash 07714 741097 or email  tim.nash2@nhs.net