EXPERT CARE AT HOME IN ANGUS, FOR ALL OF LIFE

I started my career in the healthcare sector over 20 years ago when I had a young family as it offered me the flexibility I needed whilst raising my daughter.

My experience includes working in secure units with adults who have learning difficulties and challenging behaviour before I moved into crisis care, palliative care and then finally home care.

Crisis care was emergency, last minute services to prevent a hospital/respite admission due to a sudden decline in ill health, change in family situations or in response to adult support and protection.  I often covered clients on their return from long-term hospital stays, so that someone was with them for the first 48 hours to prevent failed discharges.

I also worked for palliative care services and trained with Macmillan Cancer Support for a short time. I often met with clients when they had just had the devastating prognosis and stayed as part of their package of care through their journey.

I have been with Prestige Nursing & Care since January 2017 where I started in a different branch in Scotland before moving to the Angus branch.  My qualifications include SVQ Level 3 in Care and D31/32 level 3 SVQ accessor.  As a Registered Manager I will soon be starting my Managers Award qualification.  I am passionate about social care and making a positive impact on peoples’ lives and whilst ensuring their families are supported.  I am supported by a fantastic team in Angus and we are all dedicated and committed to making sure our clients receive the highest standards of care whilst being able to stay in their own homes with the care they need.

I qualified as a nurse in 1990 and spent the early part of my nursing career working in acute care eventually as a charge nurse in a vascular surgery ward. In 2001 I moved to higher education to become a lecturer in adult nursing eventually progressing to be Academic Programme Lead for adult nurse education. I was recognised for excellence in education by an award for student support and in 2023 became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Throughout my career have remained committed to personal and professional development achieving a range of qualifications. I am a registered nurse, a registered nurse educator with a Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching. I have a BSc in Nursing, Certificate in Management Studies, an MSc in Health Sciences, and in 2023 gained an MSc in Professional Practice.

In 2023 I decided it was time for a change so moved back into healthcare. I initially spent some time working in care homes to widen my clinical experience then was delighted to accept the role of Regional Nurse (Scotland) with Prestige Nursing & Care. I am passionate about care at home; this passion has been influenced by my personal experience as a carer for my son who lives with complex care needs and my role as a trustee for Dundee Carers Centre.

I joined Prestige Nursing & Care In January 2022. I qualified as a Registered Nurse with a BA in Professional Studies in Nursing from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh in 1988, and attained an MSc in Nursing from Manchester University in 2004. I spent 33 years working in the NHS, 31 years of which was as a District Nurse where I was also a qualified Community Practice Teacher/Assessor and nurse prescriber.

In 2017, after a short stint working with NHS 111, I started work in the social care sector, firstly as a Regional Nurse, before moving into an Operational Manager position.

I have a passion for learning and development and am keen to working with my colleagues across Prestige to further develop this function and support our teams with reaching their potential.

I joined Prestige in April 2018 where I have been given the opportunity to develop in my role. As the Paediatric Clinical Lead and Paediatric Safeguarding Lead for the company, I am particularly proud of the work we have done to further develop our paediatric training.

I qualified as a Registered Adult Nurse in 2011 at Royal Preston Hospital through the University of Central Lancashire. I have gained a wealth of experience in a variety of different settings, firstly in Intensive Care at Preston then through multiple different hospitals across the North West. I then moved into Renal care before training as a Disability Analyst assessing for Personal Independence Payments. Following this was the start of my community based nursing journey. I worked in a complex care nursing unit for 12 months then moved into Complex home care.

I began working for Prestige Nursing & Care in January 2022 and love what I do. I provided clinical expertise, training and professional leadership to the Blackpool team, to ensure the safe planning and delivery of high quality care to adults with complex needs within their homes and community settings. I take great pride in my work and my aim is to always ensure person centred, holistic care is delivered to our clients and families.

As of February 2023 I am now the Mobilisation Complex Nurse Specialist covering England and Scotland.

My areas of interest include Complex Care, in particular Tracheostomy management and care. I have always enjoyed teaching and mentoring new staff and students within my career. My aim at prestige is to ensure support and training is always available to our carers and team members.