Matron Nurse-Manager

Liz Latarche is the Matron Nurse-Manager at The Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. She is also the Manager of the St. Bartholomew’s Hospital outreach centre in Norfolk, with the aim to help couples having difficulty conceiving.

Her job is very varied and involves managing the nurses, counsellors, sonographers (ultrasound technicians) and the administration team at the centres as well as working with patients. An important part of her job is to ensure that these centres are following all of the guidelines and regulations set out by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regarding fertility treatment. She also acts as “a source of support to the unit”, which involves dealing with any staff problems or issues that they may have to deal with in this sensitive area.

Her favourite part of her job is working with the patients. She oversees the initial consultations of all of the patients coming through the centre, “it’s reassuring them that we are here to support them and so to me that’s the most important part of the role”. She also liases with the doctors and embryology team at the centre to make decisions about the relevant course of treatment for the couple.

Reproductive medicine is an exciting field and Liz says that “the one thing I have noticed is that any nurse that has entered fertility has very rarely left because it is so diverse and rewarding”.

Picture of Liz Latarche