"I worked as a senior manager at Mildmay between 1992–1998. At this time, there was no treatment, and many died of AIDS. It was also the time Princess Diana visited often. She sadly died while I was there.
My job was to secure funding from the NHS and to set up all the business structures to take it forward long-term. I also worked very closely with all teams to integrate all policies to ensure good practice. This may sound rather business-only, but it wasn't. I ensured the future of Mildmay in the long term.
I have a clinical background and was awarded an AIDS fellowship by the Department of Health in 1987 to research models of good practice for the South Thames region, and this enabled me to gain a deep understanding of the needs of people with HIV.
I was chosen to appear on the Antiques Roadshow Nursing Special TV show last year to tell my story."
Carol Anne Slater
MA DOH Fellow HIV/AIDS SRN. NDN Dip; Management Dip Strategic Business
March 2024
The following article is from SussexWorld, published 7th March 2023
East Sussex retired nurse appears on Antiques Roadshow to discuss her "significant contribution to health care"
A retired nurse living in Buxted who dedicated her life to improving care for people with HIV/AIDS has appeared on a special edition of Antiques Road Show.
By Frankie Elliot (with gratitude)
Anne Slater was chosen to appear on the popular BBC show as one of the Nurses of England who has made a significant contribution to health care over the decades.
Carol told SussexWorld: “Yes, it was such a moment. The experience was amazing and very warming.”
In 1987, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Carol won one of 15 Department of Health fellowships to study the disease and produce a model of good practice.
She had been inspired to do so after providing care for an AIDS patient whilst working as a district nurse in Bromley.
Carol said: “I was referred a young man who had AIDS, and nobody wanted to go due to the stigma surrounding the disease in 1987.
“I went to this boy’s house, and he was in the terminal stage. He kept profusely thanking me. When I went into his flat I could see that no one was caring for him.
“We were actually not caring for people with AIDS, and they were very marginalised. There was no care set up in the community.”
The study took Carol to the USA and other parts of the world to gather information for her Caring for People with AIDS in the Community report.
The findings helped put the patient in the middle of the care and then map their care needs to care providers, ensuring all people with HIV/AIDS could receive excellent care in the community without fear of prejudice and harm.
Carol said: “I believe my contribution was to ensure each person that had HIV and AIDS were cared for with dignity and respect.”
Carol’s work then took her to Mildmay Hospital in London, one of the biggest aids health units in Europe, to work alongside Princess Diana to set up care for women and babies in the unit with AIDS.
She then moved to Sussex in 1998 to take up the position of CEO at St Peter and St James Hospice in Haywards Heath. At the time, the health care unit was in a perilous position with no funding or programme in place to secure its future.
Thanks to Carol, the hospice became a secure provider of Specialist Palliative Care, which is still providing excellent care today.
Reflecting on her career, Carol said: “It was very much a calling. I was seventeen when I started, and I felt really called to be a nurse.
“I wouldn't have done it any differently. I feel hugely honoured to have been a nurse for 40 years.
“We have the best healthcare service in the world, and the NHS is amazing. It’s there for people when they most need it. It’s free, and we need to protect it.
"I feel strongly that nurses and healthcare professionals need to have a wage that matches the level of expertise they are providing.
“For me, money was never at the centre of why I was a nurse. I never did it to go earn a lot of money. It’s not a job that you just do, but nevertheless, they should have enough money for them to live properly.”
Carol can be seen on the Antiques Roadshow Nursing Special. The original broadcast aired on Sunday, February 26 2023.
Carol is an artist, and her work can be seen on Instagram and Facebook.
