It’s been incredibly busy for us all over the past few months, so most staff have not given much thought to their careers.

However, careers are important and we want the best for all our staff at the Trust. We all have colleagues whose ambition and goals are clear, but for others the path may not be so certain.

Kenye Karemo, Director of Workforce Development, Policy and Strategy, is about to launch ‘BHRUT CareerMap Vibes’ a new newsletter designed to bring to life the rich and diverse career options available to staff at our Trust.

Before launching the first official edition, Kenye has released a Covid-19 special edition, highlighting inspirational stories from colleagues who have faced the biggest challenge of their careers. And we felt having them together like this is a powerful demonstration of the talent in our Trust and just what is possible. We hope you enjoy reading these below.

Speaking about the upcoming first edition, Kenye said: “It will have visual illustrations of our Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Career Maps, and some more inspirational stories of colleagues’ careers.”

You can follow CareerMap Vibes on Twitter.

Nurses who faced Covid-19 crisis can proudly say ‘We were there’

Nurses redeployed to Critical Care at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic say they feel exhausted but proud after facing their greatest challenge of their careers.

Dozens of nurses, from newly-qualified staff nurses to Specialist Practitioners, were redeployed to strengthen our Critical Care teams as unprecedented numbers of critically ill patients began to be admitted.

Stella Osei, who works as Lead Special Screening Practitioner for the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, was redeployed to Critical Care at King George Hospital.

She says: “Because of the fact I have never worked on a ward, I was definitely nervous. But I am the sort of person who will always put themselves up front to help and I wanted to do what I could. It was very challenging but I feel proud that I will be able to say in the future that when Covid-19 happened, I was there.”

Band 7 Heart Failure Nurse Specialist, Therese Pia Aquino Noceda, says she found the bespoke Rapid Critical Care Skills Training Programme helpful and reassuring.

The programme was designed to equip nurses and AHPs with essential knowledge and skills prior to redeployment and was delivered by multi-professional educators, clinicians and support teams from across the Trust.

Therese says: “The focus was on things we really needed to know, which was comforting at the time because if you have more knowledge, you feel better able to cope.

“Although I had done ITU before, this one was so challenging. Everyone was just trying to do their best and get on with it.”

Everles Banda’s family have no doubts about her contribution to the NHS at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Her brother has one word for it: “He says ‘You are my hero!’” she laughs.

“My family say that I have given 110 per cent. They are very proud of me.”

Everles, who is a Band 5 Staff Nurse in Gynaecology Outpatients, was redeployed to Critical Care at Queen’s Hospital.

“It was certainly challenging but I have done a lot of things I hadn’t done before, or for a long time, and it was really good learning,” she says.

“It’s also one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with.

“I feel proud of what I have done. When I was needed, I was one of the front line.”

Everyone was working together

For newly-qualified nurse, Katie Spillane, who was redeployed from Heather ward at King George Hospital, the experience has been life-changing.

Katie, aged 24, says: “I have increased my skills tenfold and more. I would never have thought I could do ITU and now I love it.

“I have actually applied for a transfer to ITU! What I really felt deep down was that I was being given a good opportunity and I should grab it with both hands.”

Sister, Laura Long, was one of 70 members of the King George Theatres team who were redeployed to Critical Care.  She says: “One minute I was in scrubs and the next minute, the ship had turned. I do feel proud of myself. At the end of the day, I went there and did my very best for the patients. That’s something I will keep in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Nurse Endoscopist, Israel Omojola, who was also redeployed to Critical Care at King George, adds: “If there’s one thing that kept me going, it was the ITU staff who were so sympathetic to support us.

“Everyone was working as a team.”

BHR project keeps student nurses on track during the pandemic

Student nurses who have been supporting frontline staff during the Covid-19 outbreak say they didn’t think twice about stepping up to help.

We recruited more than 100 second and third year students and offered them paid roles across our hospitals, after the pandemic threw the future of their nurse training programmes into doubt.

The innovative approach aimed to strengthen our front line with skilled and talented student nurses and keep their undergraduate training on track with minimum disruption.

Second and third year students opted in to roles as Band 2 and Band 3 Healthcare Assistants and Advanced Healthcare Assistants on many of our wards. Meanwhile, students in the final six months of their training were given the chance to take up roles as Band 4 Student Nurses and Student Midwives.

Both schemes were co-ordinated by a Covid-19 Student Nurse and Student Midwife Retention Project Team, drawn from members of BHR’s Nursing Education, Maternity Education and Trust Recruitment Teams.

Student Nurse, Natalie Foster, admits she was very worried when Covid-19 struck during her second year at London South Bank University.

She says: “It worried me massively because I like to have a plan and stick to it. BHR came up with the ‘opt in, opt out’ option. I opted in because I wanted to help, for the learning and to get paid because I’m a student and I have a house to run, so I wasn’t going to turn the opportunity down.”

Natalie, aged 29, says any concerns she had were answered during a bespoke induction programme, and she felt well-prepared to take up her role as a Band 3 Advanced HCA in the Medical Receiving Unit (MRU) at Queen’s.

She adds: “I really hope that my first job when I qualify as a nurse will be at BHR. I feel really happy here.”

Student Nurse, Pinar Kent, says it felt “absolutely amazing” to be given the opportunity to help as Covid-19 took hold. The second-year student at London South Bank University recalls: “I used to talk every day to my friend in the same cohort and we would spend hours worrying whether we could continue to be student nurses.”

After completing the Induction Programme, Pinar was offered a role as a Band 3 Advanced HCA on Bluebell A ward at Queen’s Hospital.

She says: “Because of the pandemic, I have realised how nice it is to work in an environment where you feel supported.”

Support from colleagues was a great help

A new role on Clementine B ward at Queen’s Hospital has enabled second year Student Nurse, Perry Greenall, to continue to plan his future as a qualified nurse.

The former Ambulance Technician says he has been able to continue with his studies at the University of East London via virtual learning, and at the same time gain the hands-on work experience he needs as a Band 3 Advanced HCA.

Perry, aged 32, says: “Personally, I feel I am an extra pair of hands on the ward so I do feel I am making a contribution, and it’s good to go back to basics and to link that with the challenges of Covid-19.

“I’m really happy with the balance of experience and learning.”

Second year Student Nurse, Rosemarie Stewart, says the on-going support she has received from the Student Nurse Retention Team has had a big impact on the way she has settled into her new role as a Band 3 Advanced HCA on Mandarin B ward at Queen’s Hospital.

Rosemarie, who is studying at the University of East London, says: “I have waited a long time to train as a nurse and I wasn’t about to pause it now.

“This has been a great learning opportunity, as well as a great chance to support fellow colleagues. This is my life now and we are all one big team.”

New role allows Student Midwife Louise to keep training for future

A brand new role has helped Student Midwife, Louise Morrison, get her training back on track.

Louise, aged 42, was out of action with a knee injury when Covid-19 struck, throwing her planned return to practice into doubt.

She says: “It was a very worrying time because we should have been going into our final block of placements and we didn’t know how we would be able to make up the required number of hours to qualify or what would happen to our training.”

Louise, who is in her third year at Middlesex University, was told about a new scheme giving student nurses and midwives in the final six months of their training the opportunity to take on paid Band 4 roles at BHR, under supervision and supported by a dedicated Project Team.

Louise, who is currently working on the Labour ward at Queen’s Hospital as a Band 4 Student Midwife, says: “I am very grateful for the experience I am getting and the fact I will be able to complete my training. That’s a really good feeling.”

Anglia Ruskin University student, Anna Low, is currently working as a Band 4 Student Nurse on Sahara B ward at Queen’s. She says: “Taking up a new role hasn’t been easy, but I feel that everything I’ve learned at university has helped me to be prepared for any eventuality. Because of that, this has been a very positive experience.”

Anna says she has been so pleased with the support she has received at BHR, that she has already applied to stay here as a qualified nurse.

She says: “I have applied for a job on the same ward because my ideal would be to spend a longer period of time there and continue to develop my skills.

“I have never worked on a neurological ward before and I am finding it really different and interesting. It’s a great learning experience for me.

“The team have been excellent. They really have students’ best interests at heart. I am just so grateful to have been given this opportunity.”

A ‘win-win’ for everyone

The Covid-19 Student Nurse Retention Project has been a win-win for everyone involved.

Project Lead, Emma Skinner, says many of the students were anxious when their universities closed and practice placements were cancelled.

“There was a lot of worry about how they were going to move forward with their training and whether they would be able to qualify as planned,” she says.

“We had to organise something quite quickly and think how best to support them, while at the same time helping out the organisation in terms of extra staff during the Covid-19 crisis.

“As well as being massively helpful to the organisation, we also wanted to make sure we supported them to continue on their learning pathway.”

Emma says that alongside their paid roles, the student nurses are receiving pastoral support and training from the Project Team, including regular skills days linked to their nurse training.

The initiative is already being evaluated and lessons learned so far will be adopted on an on-going basis to improve the experience of students.

Emma adds: “Most of the student nurses are from our local communities and we very much hope they are going to be our qualified nursing workforce of the future.”

Deputy Project Lead, Jessica Stephenson, adds: “I hope the student nurses realise how much we value their contribution at such a challenging time.

“They should be very proud of the way they have adapted to their new roles.”