Mum of three Johanna Smith is halfway through her apprenticeship with LSCFT as a Student Nursing Associate (SNA) but for the last 20 years, life has looked very different.
Jo’s first child, William, was born in 2005. Jo had a healthy pregnancy with William and he met all the first major milestones with ease – crawling, smiling, sitting up and walking. However, when William was two, a health visitor raised concerns around his lack of speech.
Jo said:
"Looking back now, her intervention really was of huge importance in Will’s journey and I’m so grateful that she approached me when she did. From then onwards, more things became apparent with Will’s behaviour and presentation."
Over the years that followed, William was diagnosed with autism, learning disability, verbal dyspraxia and extreme anxiety. Will thrived at a special school, where he enjoyed the strict routine of his day and the social interactions with friends and teachers. But at home he depended heavily on Jo.
Jo added:
“Prior to Will being diagnosed, I worked part time in an IT sales role, which I loved, but after he was diagnosed, we decided that I would stay at home as Will’s full-time carer. Caring for Will and his sisters really was a full-time job. I don’t regret that choice at all, I will always know that I gave my all to the parent carer role.”
William has recently celebrated his 21st Birthday and for the last couple of years he’s been living a more independent life in supported living premises. This was a major milestone, not only for William, but also for Jo who now had time to think about what she wanted to do with her career.
Jo successfully applied for a degree but turned it down, deciding instead that she didn’t want the student debt and wanted to get straight back into work.
She said:
"People don’t understand but when something’s taken away from you and is out of your control, you don’t take it for granted. I absolutely loved the prospect of going to work again, having a routine and I was just so grateful.
“William was under LSCFT’s Intensive Support Team (IST) for some months when he was in crisis and through this team I met some amazing LD (learning disability) nurses, many of which visited us at home. The more I chatted to them, I decided that that’s what I wanted to do, or something along those lines.”
Jo started working as a healthcare assistant at Greendale Ward on our Woodview Unit, a role she loved. It was while working here that she saw an advert for an apprenticeship and applied straight away.
Now one year into the two-year apprenticeship, Jo is able to put her lived experience to good use. She finds it rewarding being able to connect with service users, using her creativity and communication skills. The oldest on her course, Jo admits she struggles a little with the technology (when she graduated in 1996, all of her assignments were handwritten!), but is thriving on her apprenticeship where she’s gaining theoretical knowledge and hands on experience, including recently joining the interview panels for healthcare assistants at our new dedicated learning disability facility, Water Meadow View.
Jo concluded:
“The apprenticeship was a no brainer for me and there’s no doubt that it’s changed my life. William is doing well and loves having his own space. We speak daily on Facetime and visit him once or twice a week.”
