Emily is the Clinical Lead and Senior Staff Nurse on the Churchill Ward at The Harbour.
Emily started at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust in 2017 and instantly developed a passion for inpatient nursing.
Having started as a student nurse, Emily has developed professionally and by continuing with her education, is now the senior staff nurse.
“During my time at the Trust I have been able to work within various settings and I have been encouraged to take on new challenges to continue my professional development.
As part of my latest role it is now my responsibility to ensure we offer the very best quality of care – something I take great pride in.
Without the Trust’s support and encouragement, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Without their amazing training and education opportunities and to shadow its incredible staff I wouldn’t have the level of knowledge and skills that I do.
I love my job and am passionate about ensuring the quality of care we provide is the best it can be – something that I have been taught at every stage of my career at LSCft.”
Colin Munro is an (interim) Modern Matron. Colin started working for the Trust in April 2013 as a Staff Nurse and has progressed his career through a number of roles.
During his time at the Trust, Colin has worked through challenging times and had the opportunity to use his experiences to inform current working practices and procedures.
Having worked within Guild Lodge, a secure mental health care hospital for men and women, in a number of different roles, Colin has a unique insight into the benefit of working within this setting at the Trust:
“Even though I’ve worked in one place for seven years my experiences have been so varied. The range of work is so broad, and you are constantly learning and adapting. We’re fortunate to have a really hands on senior management team that have a wealth of knowledge and experience and they really support us.
As a staff nurse there are so many great opportunities that you can take advantage of. The education and training opportunities are amazing and really focuses on an individual’s own journey and ambitions so by the time you finish you really have a solid foundation into your chosen career path.”
Romy Ireton is Ward Sister at The Harbour.
Romy started her career in male acute care and expanded her skills to then work within women’s acute care.
"Over the years I have developed a special interest in supporting people with a personality disorder and the Trust has helped me strengthen my professional relationships and develop in this specialised field.
The Trust has continuously supported my learning. I’m enrolled on the 7UP course for leadership, which further supports me as a leader, and I’ve had the opportunity to support junior staff development via the preceptorship programme.
I’ve also been actively encouraged to influence and initiate change in the way we work, as part of my Clinical Leader role, which means I can help implement my vision of improving patient and carer experience and outcomes, which is incredible.
LCSft is an amazing place to work. During one of the most challenging times we have ever faced as a Trust, we have collectively shown resourcefulness, flexibility, kindness and respect to our patients and each other and I couldn’t be prouder or feel more valued."
Greeshma Nair is Staff Nurse on the Wordsworth Ward at The Harbour, Blackpool.
Greeshma is an overseas nurse and joined The Harbour under the Global Learners Programme.
She trained and cleared the Nursing Midwifery Council Examination in February 2020 and has been working as a staff nurse at Wordsworth Ward ever since.
"Coming from overseas can be really overwhelming but the Trust has been very welcoming and supportive at every level of my development.
I have a mentor who I can go to for support and ask any questions and I am so fortunate to work with an incredible group of colleagues who not only make me feel like a part of the team, but also help me learn and gain new expertise all the time.
From my experience, LSCft is a diverse, cultural working environment that offers extensive professional development opportunities. Not only does it provide a supportive teaching environment but it also welcomes feedback and happily accepts insight into other ways of working."
Rachel Brown is part of the quality team at The Harbour and is the Overseas Nurses’ Link Nurse.
With 36 years of experience within the mental health setting, Rachel has a wealth of knowledge, insight and experience within the field.
Rachel has worked at every possible level and department within the Trust and actually retired in June 2019. However, an opportunity to comeback as the Overseas Nurses’ Link Nurse came up in the following October and it was an opportunity too good to turn down.
“I was really fortunate to be part of the design team at The Harbour so I know the core values it is built on and I have the passion, drive and commitment to make sure that it’s always the best it can possibly be.
The role of being a link nurse for the overseas nurses really appealed to me. I really feel passionate about helping them settle into their role, by supporting, guiding, supervising and coaching them. I want to make them feel not only welcome to LSCft but also to the UK.
My ultimate goal is that people feel LSCft is a great place to work and somewhere they would willingly recommend to other colleagues.”
Roshan Nair is a third year student nurse who has achieved a great deal in the small time he's been here at the Trust.
Roshan Nair is a third year student nurse and had nothing but praise for the Trust and the process.
“I started my career with the Trust in August 2015 with the learning disabilities team. It was a brilliant opportunity to work for a local trust. Eventually I did fancy a change into mental health services, so I joined the Forensic Services Team at Guild Lodge. I started my career there as a Band 2 Support Worker on a High Dependency Unit.”
Roshan didn’t stop there and wanted to delve deeper into the Trust and the services we offer.
“The Trust is committed to offering learning and development opportunities for all full-time and part-time employees. I had the opportunity to develop my skills and go on to securing a Band 3 position with the Occupational Therapy Team and then progress to go on to do a Band 4 role with in the Female Assessment Team. I also had the opportunity to work with the Mental Health Law team, giving me insight into the legislation and paperwork involved.
I have also been privileged to be a part of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) initiative and I have even been involved in the recruitment process.”