A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KATE HAYWARD COMPLEX CARE LEAD NURSE, BRISTOL 12 | newcrossnews | www.newcrosshealthcare.com
Getting to know your colleagues from across the country is essential to understanding how different parts of our business work. As we continue on our ambitious journey to expand and deliver more services to people who require care and support, we wanted to introduce you to different people in different roles. For this edition of <strong>Newcross</strong>news we caught up with Kate Hayward, one our Lead Nurses for Complex Care, based in Bristol. Here she tells us more about her role helping those clients who value us. Can you tell us a little bit about your career and where it all began? I first joined the world of healthcare in 1994 after completing nurse training at University of West of England (it was called Avon and Gloucestershire College of Health back in those days). I then moved on and completed my training in Learning Disability Nursing. I started my journey working in community homes for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. After five years in the role I moved on to work at Bristol Prison, delivering nursing to inmates. In 2006, I went to work for at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit at Frenchay Hospital. In 2016, I joined <strong>Newcross</strong> after a chance conversation with another <strong>Newcross</strong> Lead Nurse who I trained with. I was looking for a change and Esther was looking for another nurse to work alongside her in the Complex Care team. The rest is history. Why did you choose healthcare? This is an easy question for me to answer as I always wanted to be a nurse. Throughout my childhood this was my ambition. To support this, as a teenager I completed work experience in care homes and schools for children with special educational needs. This reaffirmed my dream and inspired me to study and gain experience in the sector. Tell us a little about your role and your team? My role as one of the Lead Nurses for Complex Care, based in Bristol, involves overseeing different care packages in the community. My days are varied: I can be doing anything from assessing clients, writing and “There’s lots of different things I love about working at <strong>Newcross</strong> but the main one is the diversity of the work” KATE HAYWARD | A DAY IN THE LIFE OF reviewing care plans, liaising with professionals and families, whilst ensuring all of our staff are up-to-date with care competencies. It’s varied but I love it. What does a typical day look like for you? There is no typical day! Some days are officebased care planning, liaising with other healthcare professionals, training etc. Others involve travelling to see clients to carry out new assessments and reviews. I also manage a team of people so I have to carry out staff appraisals and competency reviews, while additionally attending funding and other multidisciplinary meetings. What makes your role rewarding? Our clients make my role rewarding. Knowing that, as part of the <strong>Newcross</strong> team, we are really making a difference to our clients’ lives. How do you think your role fits into the wider <strong>Newcross</strong> system? We work with the Complex Care team of carers, as well as with office-based staff, Central Support and the wider <strong>Newcross</strong> clinical team. We all work together to ensure care packages are right and that our clients receive the best level of service we can provide. What do you think the future looks like for you and your team? The future looks busy and bright. We are always looking to take on new packages of care, which means the team is ever-evolving. In the coming months we hope more clients means expansion of our service so that we can provide continued high standards of care for many more people. What do you love about <strong>Newcross</strong>? There are lots of different things I love about working at <strong>Newcross</strong>, but the main one is the diversity of the work. Working with such a wide range of clients with differing needs, whilst being able to make a positive contribution to their lives, is so rewarding. If you’d like to find out more about Kate’s team you can contact her at: kate.hayward@newcrosshealthcare.com www.newcrosshealthcare.com | newcrossnews | 13
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