Chestnut Tree House
Month of celebrations
There’s been a lot of celebrating already this month. Here at the House, we enjoyed a Coronation tea party on the bank holiday which gave our wonderful kitchen staff the excuse the whip up lots of delicious cakes and treats.
This week we will be celebrating (with rather less fanfare) another special date, as it is International Nurses’ Day on May 12. For me, this is not only an opportunity to shine a light on the dedicated, highly skilled teams we have here, but a chance to talk about nursing as a career. I am a registered paediatric nurse and children’s community nurse specialist. I’ve worked in the local area for the past 18 years and it has been a huge privilege for me to take up this leadership role at Chestnut Tree House. For me, nursing is the ideal career because of the complexity of the work and the opportunities for continued professional development. When I’m recruiting, I look for staff who are compassionate and motivated to make a positive difference to our families. I want people who are fun and have a ‘can-do’ approach so that they help children and families make special memories. I am immensely proud of the clinical team we have here and I’m particularly keen to identify and nurture talent in our staff. I want to empower them so they will continue to advocate for paediatric palliative care services. Recently, three of our care support workers undertook a two-year programme of study and practical assessment to qualify as our first nursing associates. The introduction of this new role means we can offer an even better service to our children and families – which, at the end of the day, is why we all come to work. To find out more, visit www.chestnut.org.uk