Always Changing - Always for the People
Interview with Karen Thiele, Managing Director of St. Bernward Hospital GmbH
Located right in the middle of the city and thus close to the lives of the people: this is how the St. Bernward Hospital has presented itself since 1852 - and this proximity is also characteristic of the interaction between staff and patients. Equally important is the role of the hospital as a major provider in the region - which is manifested in the modern new building that will be opened next year and will provide space for the new Parent-Child Center thea.
Wirtschaftsforum: Ms. Thiele, the hospital has been around since 1852, but you also have a connection with St. Bernward.
Karen Thiele: As a resident of Hildesheim, I have known the hospital for a long time and was actually born here.
Wirtschaftsforum: Does this reflect the city's connection with the hospital?
Karen Thiele: The hospital was founded by the Order of Vincentians, so it is Christian-oriented and located right in the city center. In the past, the focus of care was on the needy. From this charitable approach, we have grown over the years. Today, we are a regional care center. We are a house with history, which is constantly evolving, both medically and in terms of infrastructure, which ultimately suits us well, as we are always changing.
Wirtschaftsforum: Is the new building a significant new section?
Karen Thiele: We are building under the headline Parent-Child Center, but at the end of the day, there is much more to it. The new building will bring together the women's clinic, the children's clinic, and the obstetrics department. Additionally, we have a focus on the care of premature babies. There will be a large emergency room, a ward for geriatric patients, and a palliative care unit. This shows our concern, as we think about medical care from the beginning to the end of life.
Wirtschaftsforum: Does this also give you more space in other areas of the hospital?
Karen Thiele: Indeed, we need the structure, as ambulatory care is the next big issue, and we need the spaces in the main building.
Wirtschaftsforum: You provide care in all phases of life.
Karen Thiele: We have the exclusive mandate for neurological care in the region, with a large department including a supra-regional, certified Stroke Unit, and we have expertise in neurological diseases, especially strokes. Another distinctive feature is our large urology clinic. Moreover, we offer a comprehensive range of services: Our focus areas include Internal Medicine – with our own clinics for Cardiology, Oncology, Gastroenterology, and Pulmonology – as well as Surgery with Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, General Surgery, Visceral and Oncological Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery. We are also well-equipped in areas of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine up to Geriatric Medicine, including a geriatric department.
Due to our certified Oncological Center with an attached Palliative Care Unit, we can provide comprehensive and holistic support to cancer patients – until the end of life, when no cure is available.
Wirtschaftsforum: So everything is coming together?
Karen Thiele: Yes, we are well positioned. All the patients that we cannot treat onsite — for example in cardiac surgery — we care for in cooperation with other clinics, such as the University Medicine Göttingen, of which we are also the academic teaching hospital.
Wirtschaftsforum: How do you deal with the economically tense situation as a result of the hospital reform?
Karen Thiele: We are currently looking into how decisions are being made. It is about consolidating competencies in centers of excellence and I can say that we are already very well positioned. We are also excellently staffed — in nursing service, medical service, and functional service. We have a great team and care for a lot of people.
Wirtschaftsforum: Changes in digitalization, such as the keyword patient records, also shape your daily routine.
Karen Thiele: It is important to us to bring all employees along in the change process. Our medical staff do not have the time to thoroughly engage with the numerous digitalization processes — for them, patient care obviously comes first. Fortunately, we have competent staff on-site in IT, medical technology, and project management who lead these processes.
Wirtschaftsforum: How would you describe your corporate culture?
Karen Thiele: Despite our size – after all, we employ 1,800 staff from over 50 nations – I experience us as incredibly familial, at all levels. Humanity holds great value in our interactions, in collegial cooperation, but also in our meaningful context. We care for sick people; we accompany them. Each individual contributes a lot because the work is important to them. Of course, we ensure good working conditions.
Wirtschaftsforum: What makes you successful?
Karen Thiele: I firmly believe that it only works as a team. We all need each other which is why it works so well. Everyone does what they do best, and then contributes to the team. That, I believe, is a great added value of our facility. We look at each other with kindness and understand each other's competence, and most are always ready to go an extra step than they might need to – because they see a purpose in what they do.
Wirtschaftsforum: Are there any other goals?
Karen Thiele: Of course, we have a high standard to continue to provide good care permanently, to remain an integral part of the city and its provision. We have a large outpatient service in addition to the hospital. So, we have a practice structure for almost every clinic in the inpatient area, thereby creating a comprehensive offering for patients.