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Nursing Standard Campaign Nursing the Future
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| Peace Ajiboye, London |
Peace Ajiboye is mental health crisis resolution nurse at South London and the Maudsley NHS Trust in South London. ‘This is my second career – a friend said there were always jobs in nursing,’ Peace says. ‘I like talking to people. Now I work in the community and patients are very appreciative – one said I’d given him his life back. For me, that made everything worthwhile.’ Peace believes nursing’s image is important because it affects recruitment. But what appeals to one may not appeal to another. ‘We should encourage people who think well of nurses to join the campaign, to come forward and promote nursing – we cannot do it alone,’ he says. Parliamentary constituency: North Southwark &
Bermondsey Contact: peace.ajiboye@slam.nhs.uk |
| Lesley Allan, Lanarkshire |
A women’s health nurse specialist in Lanarkshire Acute Hospital Trust, Lesley Allan recalls that when she announced her intention to become a nurse, ‘people tried to put me off. But it was and is my lifetime ambition and the more they tried, the more determined I became’. Lesley agrees that nurse –led developments can be obscured by doctors’ higher profile. ‘But patients who have experienced similar services provided by both doctors and nurses are generally very happy when they encounter nurses’, she explains. ’I believe that patients very much appreciate what they regard as essential care but nurses call it ‘basic’ care. It is nothing of the sort’. Parliamentary constituency: Wishaw & Motherwell Contact: lesley@allan4711.fsnet.co.uk |
| Deborah Birtchnell, Hertfordshire |
Deborah Birtchnell is lead nurse for chronic disease management at HMP The Mount in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire. An unusual job in one of the country’s prisons one might think. ‘But inmates have physical and mental problems just like everyone and my job is to make sure they get the best health care, Deborah says.’ For me, no amount of technology, machines or computers can replace the essentials of nursing –care, knowledge, human insight and confidence in our expertise’. Parliamentary constituency: South West Hertfordshire Contact: Deborah.birtchnell@hmps.gsi.gov.uk |
| Garrett Bright, Gloucester |
Like many nursing students, Garrett Bright is embarking on a second career. After graduating with a degree in public relations and media, he worked in local radio and television. ‘Nursing always appealed but it wasn’t until I saw an NSH careers television commercial that I wondered if I had misjudged myself and as well as nursing. Taking the first step was easy; I called the NHS careers office and here I am’, Garrett explains. So far, my first clinical placement was on a gastrointestinal surgical ward and the second on a rehabilitation ward. I’ve surprised myself at how much I’ve enjoyed these and feel very fulfilled by my new chosen direction’. Parliamentary constituencies: Gloucester Cheltenham Contact: Garrett.bright@uwe.ac.uk |
| Marina Copping, West Lothian |
Marina Copping is clinical nurse specialist in health informatics at West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust. As a graduate she was discouraged from nursing, ‘but I persisted and in 20 years, I’ve never regretted it’, she says. ‘Caring for people is a good feeling and it’s very satisfying to be part of a team with the same goals’. Now Marina believes good information is vital for good patient care and she represents nursing informatics developments in both Scotland and England. Parliamentary constituency: Livingston Contact: marina.copping@wlt.scot.nhs.uk |
| Cynthia Davis, South London |
Cynthia Davis works in the South Thames Organ Transplant service and manages the African Caribbean Organ Donation Awareness Project. Her work involves increasing awareness of the need for organ donors among South London’s African Caribbean population and educating the group about organ transplantation. Parliamentary constituency: Dulwich and West Norwood Contact: Cynthia.davis@kingsch.nhs.uk |
| Annette Dearmun, Oxford |
Holding joint appointments as a senior paediatric nurse at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Infirmary and senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, Annette Dearmun combines insights from both to create the best in children’s nursing. ‘Being able to combine practice and education means that the two constantly feed from each other. Developments in clinical practice move very quickly and education has to keep pace’, says Annette. Parliamentary constituencies: Oxford West &
Abingdon / Oxford East Contact: akdearmun@brookes.ac.uk |
| Sharon Dennis, Essex |
Sharon Dennis believes ‘nurses do solve complicated problems, they are good crisis managers, they’re quick and they use sophisticated communication skills and channels – all invaluable in my line of mental health practice’. Sharon became a nurse almost by accident capitalising on the second chance at education that nursing offers. ‘But there is a problem with nursing education when patients expect highly skilled nurses to care for them but fail to see that means highly educated nurses too’. Parliamentary constituency: Ilford South Contact: sharon.dennis@rcn.org.uk |
| Sattie Doobay, London |
Sattie Doobay is a specialist practitioner at Chalkhill Health Centre, a general practice in Wembley, London. ‘This is where nurses can come into their own,’ says Sattie. ‘General practice is a booming area of health care and nurses make huge contributions that often go unacknowledged,’ she believes. 'I would love to be able to change some of that, bring nursing out into the open and show people, especially patients, exactly what difference we make.’ Parliamentary constituency: Brent South Contact: kdoobay@aol.com
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| Anita Fachett, Leeds |
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Parliamentary constituency: Leeds Central Contact: a.fachett@lmu.ac.uk |
| Helen Jenkins, London |
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Parliamentary constituency: Bethnal Green &
Bow Contact: hjenkins@dircon.co.uk |
| Anne Marie Marley, Belfast |
‘I think I always wanted to be a nurse’, says Ann Marie Marley who is a consultant nurse in respiratory care at the Mater Hospital in Belfast. ‘Nursing’s public image is very important but it’s doctors that are often seen as leaders of health care developments when really, it’s nursing that has the ideas and does the work. On a deeper level, that intimacy, that special connection one achieves with patients is what is satisfying’, Ann Marie believes. Parliamentary constituency: Belfast North Contact: Annemarie.marley@mater.n-i.nhs.uk |
| John McEleney, Derry |
Working for clients with a learning disability brings community nurse manager John McEleney enormous rewards. Learning disability services in the province are changing beyond all recognition as they are moved away from institutional settings of all kinds. John believes one of the most important aspects of his role ‘is to ensure that these new services reflect the real spirit of individually tailored care and not just the image. As a learning disability nurse, I feel that I have a unique overview and insight into people’s needs.’ Parliamentary constituency: Foyle Contact: jmceleney@foylehq.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Andrew McGovern, London
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‘I work on a children’s oncology ward at Barts and the London NHS Trust in Whitechapel,’ explains Andrew McGovern. ‘I was lucky because when I first qualified, my trust offered me a wide experience. I would like to think that eventually I will be able to make a difference for other nurses and to the image of nursing.’ Having been active in the RCN Association of Nursing Students, Andrew is unsure if he will remain in clinical practice or become a manager later in his career. Parliamentary constituency: West Ham Contact: Andymcgovern@btopenworld.com |
| Sue Murray, Sandwell |
The hospital experience of a close family member affects the way Sue Murray does her job as deputy director of nursing at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust ‘I still see patients and am responsible for clinical developments in my trust’, Sue says. ‘Last week, a patient remarked on the confidence my involvement seemed to inspire in the nursing staff. I was very moved by this, I didn’t think patients noticed such things really’. ‘My personal experiences made me realize that 75 per cent of care is given by families’, Sue contuinues. Nurses don’t own people’s care, we’re just short –term carers. Nurses are more often the brokers of care not the actual providers. Yes, I do feel that nursing does need a more comprehensive and instantly recognisable image because the image is the product’. Parliamentary constituency: Sutton Coldfield Contact: sue.murray@swbh.nhs.uk |
| Sandra Peake, Belfast |
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Parliamentary constituency: Belfast North Contact: tracey@wavetc.clara.co.uk |
| Sally Sivas, Croydon, Surrey |
| Courage, calmness and confidence are the ingredients of good midwifery, Sally believes. Parliamentary constituency: Croydon North Contact: Sally.Sivas@mayday.nhs.uk |
| Sue Pender, Yorkshire |
Sue Pender has come a long way since leaving school with few ‘O’ levels. Now, as the leader of a palliative care team at West Hull primary care trust, she uses all the skills she learnt in her nursing career. ‘Working as a care assistant introduced me to a pre-nursing course and I realised I could change my future – with some hard work and determination, of course’. Sue now says how fortunate she feels to choose a career with such diversity and breadth. Parliamentary constituency: Kingston upon Hull
North Contact: Sue.Pender@whpct.nhs.uk |
| Fiona Pilkington, London |
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Parliamentary constituency: Vauxhall Contact: fiona.pilkington@kingsch.nhs.uk
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| Yana Richens, London |
Inspired by a friend’s enthusiasm for nursing, Yana Richens first qualified as an enrolled nurse and later moved into midwifery. Now a consultant midwife in public health at London’s University College Hospital Foundation Trust, Yana has lost none of her original passion. ‘I’ve seen nursing and midwifery from many angles – as a practitioner, teacher and researcher, as a patient and as a relative and a carer. From every angle, it’s the same – fantastic. . Even though society has moved on since I trained, I think the public expectations of nurses and midwives remain the same – expertise, care, time’ she says. Yana believes that nurses have always been highly trained and she is currently working on her PhD Parliamentary constituency: Coventry South Contact: yanarichens@aol.com |
| Hilary Rowell, Belfast |
‘I’ve come to nursing after many jobs and it only happened because there was a time that I couldn’t get a job’, says Hilary Rowell who is a nursing student at Belfast’s Queens University and also chair of the RCN Association of Nursing Students. ‘After six months out of work, I decided to try nursing and I’m so glad I did. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my training and I really wouldn’t do anything else now’. Hilary is concerned by patients’ perception that nurses are untrained amateurs and believes that high attrition rates during nursing training could be attributed to incorrect portrayals of the profession. ‘I do think we need to project the profession very strongly and recognise that resistant attitudes do hold back the profession’, she says. Parliamentary constituency: South Antrim Contact: hilary.rowell@rcn.org.uk |
| Andrew Schofield, Canterbury |
Andrew Schofield takes responsibility for several important parts of his hospital’s nursing activity because he is the lead nurse for medicine, resusitation and intermediate care. He feels that NHS policy changes can sometimes reflect on nursing negatively but says: ‘My own image of nursing is the reason I became a nurse in the first place’. He knows that doctors may take some of nursing’s credit but as a manager, he knows their support is important. Parliamentary constituency: Canterbury Contact: Andrew.schofield@ekht.nhs.uk |
| Joanne Schofield, Warrington |
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Joanne believes nurses should be working in partnership with their colleagues and patients themselves. ‘Each has their unique contribution and in my field, it’s nursing that provides the dynamic leadership that pulls it all together’, she says. Parliamentary constituency: Warrington North Contact: oakdene@5boroughspartnership.nhs.uk |
| Marjorie Small, Birmingham |
Working with patients with cancers of the blood presents Marjorie Small with many challenges. Since she won a Nursing Standard award because of the creative way she approaches these, she has become a matron at Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust. Parliamentary constituency: Birmingham Sparkbrook
& Small Heath Contact: marjorie.small@heartsol.wmids.nhs.uk
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| Esther Tanton, Canterbury, Kent |
Esther Tanton works as a theatre sister at the Channel Day Surgery Unit, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust. Esther explains how she worked as a hospital accountant in Trinidad but always had a burning desire to be a nurse. In 1988, there were no nurse training opportunities in Trinidad, so she came to England to train as a nurse. ‘I’ve worked in several areas of nursing but seeing patients’ lives transformed by surgery and the holistic nursing care that accompanies it is so rewarding’, Esther says. ‘Nursing is a great career with lots of opportunities and it should have a much higher profile’. Esther chairs her local branch of the National Association of Theatre Nurses. Parliamentary constituency: Folkstone & Hythe
and Ashford Contact: esther.tanton@ekht.nhs.uk |
| Yvette Wells, Somerset |
Paediatric nursing is community matron Yvette Wells’ mission especially when it involves children with very serious illness. ‘I always wanted to be a nurse’, she says. ‘I grew up in Guyana where my mother was a nurse and she always said I was her little helper. This campaign is very important for me as I must raise the profile of children’s community and home nursing. Every day, patients and their families say that I make a difference to their lives. This holds great importance for me’. Parliamentary constituency: Taunton Contact: yvette.wells@tst.nhs.uk |
| Grant Williams, Bridgend, South Wales |
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Parliamentary constituency: Bridgend Contact: Grant@celticconsultancy.co.uk |
| Liz Yates, Chorley, Lancashire |
A specialist nurse in accident and emergency nursing, Liz Yates is now the accident department’s directorate manager at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. In 1999, her work with nurses caring for people who have suffered domestic violence won her a Nursing Standard award. Parliamentary constituency: Chorley Contact: liz.yates@lthtr.nhs.uk |
| What inspires you? |
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What was the last good thing a patient said to you? Tell us what inspired you to come to work today... Write to: Nursing the Future Alternatively, you can email us, or fill out our feedback form. |
| Nursing Standard Online |
 Visit the professional home for nurses on the net |
After
a varied career in clinical practice, Anita Fachett – senior
lecturer in nursing at Leeds Metropolitan University – decided
the likeliest way she could influence future nursing generations
was through inspiring and teaching the next. Now, she is able to
bring all her wide experience and knowledge to that task 
Personal experience of death in her family prompted Helen Jenkins
to think about nursing. Now she works as lead nurse in young people’s
and women’s health at Tower Hamlets PCT. ‘The MORI poll
suggests that there is confusion in the public mind about the different
areas of nursing and I’m sure this contributes to uninformed
perceptions of nursing’, Helen says She believes nursing’s
image and what it means should be more instantly recognizable. 
Sandra
Peake uses her nursing expertise to support people affected by Belfast’s
troubles. As chief executive of WAVE, a charity that she has developed
almost from scratch, she now directs more than 100 volunteers and
paid staff to research, lobby and provide services directly. ‘Nursing
certainly has tremendous credibility outside conventional health
services,’ Sandra finds. ‘We should build on that but
also find out why that isn’t so apparent in the public sector.’
‘Both
my grandmothers were birth carers in my home city of Glasgow and
they inspired my love of midwifery’, writes Sally Sivas, clinical
midwifery manager at Croydon’s Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust.
‘After 20 years as a midwife, the birth of a baby is still
the most amazing event for me because each mother has such a unique
experience’. Experience has taught Sally that being a midwife
is not only about the highs of assisting a mother give birth, but
also about wider aspects of care such as child protection, assisting
refugee mothers and caring for deprived families. 
‘I
always wanted to be a nurse as long as I can remember’, recalls
Fiona Pilkington who is a practice development nurse on the liver
intensive care unit at Kings College Hospital in London. ‘Recently,
we opened a brand new liver unit and we invited previous patients
back to see it. One patient had remembered me and I was very touched
by this – my own memory wasn’t as good though’
Already known locally as a nurse with a special affinity for nursing
older mentally ill people, Joanne Schofield believes that the essence
of nursing is being able to see each person as an individual. ‘Disproving
that famous line –dementia is a living death-is my ambition’,
she says. ‘Even though people may be sick, they are still
people and treating them with that empathy can improve every aspect
of their lives’. 
Grant
Williams is an accident and emergency nurse who directs his own
company specialising in training, consultancy and medicolegal work.
He is proud of the difference he feels he makes to staff and services.
‘Even now, nursing is not seen as a solution to patient choice
or excessive medical workload or even capacity and space problems,’
says Grant. He feels that the myriad opportunities that nursing
brings need to be promoted. ‘As the director of an independent
company, most of the business and management skills I use have been
gained during my career as a nurse,’ he says.