Julia Fairhall moved into community nursing 18 years ago and hasn't looked back since. "I immediately knew it was right for me and I've loved every minute since," she says. "Every day and every setting is different."
Fairhall trained in oncology nursing at the Royal Marsden but opted for a community role when her children were small, as hospital shifts didn't suit family life. She started as a staff nurse and has since gained experience of managing teams across a wide geographical area, before becoming a virtual ward manager, with responsibility for community nursing services, intermediate care and phlebotomy.
She is now one of a team of three practice development facilitators for Sussex community NHS trust (SCT).
"My role is to support the continuing professional development of our clinical workforce," Fairhall explains. "That might involve one-to-one support with clinical skills or decision making, or working with teams to improve processes and training. My ultimate aim is to support our nurses to deliver excellent care."
Education and clinical skills are important, Fairhall explains, but practice development is also about taking a strategic view on where the trust is going.
"We need to ensure that our values and vision are embedded in frontline practice," she says. "I want to inspire nurses to take pride in their work by providing a strong role model and demonstrating the culture and values of SCT in everything I do."
Community nurses work with increasing numbers of older patients with multiple complex needs who, just a few years ago, would have been treated in an acute hospital.
"Our challenge is to successfully manage people in their preferred environment, which is often their own home," Fairhall explains. "We can do this because we have a skilled workforce providing high-quality nursing and therapeutic support."
Community care is delivered by multi-disciplinary teams of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social services, with a rapid-response team offering 24-hour support. In-patient beds are also available when needed at one of SCT's 10 community hospitals. "This way of working has real benefits for patients," says Fairhall, "and it's rewarding for us because it means we can do our utmost to support patients within the right environment."
Fairhall explains that practice development is about helping nurses develop strategies and tools to cope with the challenges they face in a changing NHS. "Technical skills can be learned, but community nurses also need to be resilient practitioners," she says. "My role is to develop their skills and confidence and support them to drive improvements in care. We must be doing something right because one of our student nurses recently thanked us for being so aspirational on their behalf.
"It helps that staff at SCT feel valued and supported and are recognised and rewarded for what they do. It's a big trust, spread across a wide area of Brighton & Hove and West Sussex, but communication is good and we understand how our roles fit into the organisational vision."
Fairhall is studying for an MBA in public service management at Brighton University. "I'm lucky to work for a trust that provides lifelong learning opportunities for all front line staff. Everyone is encouraged to share their learning with colleagues and introduce changes that will improve patient care."
Fairhall recently received the Queen's Nurse award for her own contribution to innovation and service development.
"Every day I learn something new," she says. "Sharing that knowledge with others so they can learn and improve what they do for patients is what motivates me."
To apply for a post as a community nurse with Sussex community NHS trust, click here.
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