Tricia passed away peacefully on 16th October this year. I had the privilege of working with Tricia at Hillingdon Hospital for 20 years and our friendship continued into our respective retirements. Tricia was loved by her patients for her care, she was always compassionate and entertaining but knew when to be firm and champion the service on their behalf.
Tricia trained at Moorfields High Holborn, and briefly worked there after qualifying, before taking a post in Ireland where she met her husband James. The rest of her orthoptic career was at Hillingdon Hospital, Middlesex, close to her family and school friends. She continued working whilst bringing up 4 children and was very much part of the lives of her 9 grandchildren.
When Professor Fielder and Catherine Stewart asked Tricia to recruit patients for their amblyopia research, Tricia’s enthusiasm made her their prime recruiter. She applied for a research grant to compare school nurse vs orthoptic primary vision screening and presented the results at the IOC in Toronto, and embraced clinical teaching for undergraduate.
Her relationships with her work colleagues made it a happy department and a joy to go to work. Always open to new ideas and ways of working, resulting in the department flourishing.
