Return to practice

It was purely by chance that community nurse Bobby Coe found herself working in the Rapid Response Team based at the Coxheath Clinic just outside Maidstone, but a few months down the line she wouldn’t dream of changing jobs.

By the time Bobby signed up for Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s return to practice course, the choice of training places was limited, which is how she found herself at Coxheath.

Now qualified and looking after her own patients across a wide area, Bobby has found the role a challenging one – and she loves it.

“The other students I trained with have moved into community nursing, but I just love the variety and the challenge that comes with being part of the Rapid Response Team,” said the 50 year-old former theatre nurse.

“Patients are referred by a number of routes, from district nurses to ambulance crews and on-call doctors, and it is down to us to make the right decisions about their care and then deliver that care. It’s full on and demanding, but very rewarding.”

The aim of the Rapid Response Team is to keep patients out of hospital, which both reduces pressure on NHS beds and is generally better for the individual, who can be cared for in the comfort of his or her own home.

As well as helping to keep patients out of hospital, Bobby and the other rapid response nurses also help those who have been discharged but still need extra care during their first few days at home.

While it’s a fast-paced and high-pressure role, Bobby is quick to point out that she is not alone. “We receive fantastic support from the rest of the team and there is always someone to ask if you need a second opinion or some advice,” she said.

Bobby trained and worked in Medway Hospital between 2001 and 2010 and for the last three years of her service was a staff nurse working in operating theatres.

She stopped work to care for her daughter Halle, who had been born in 2009, because the shift patterns didn’t suit motherhood and her family came first. Still keen to keep busy, she did voluntary work with Victim Support, and might have carried on with that organisation if fate had not intervened.

“At the end of 2014, with Halle now at school, I was about to apply for a paid post at Victim Support when I happened to hear an advertisement on the radio for the return to practice scheme,” she recalled.

“`I had let my registration lapse because I didn’t think I would be able to go back to the old shift patterns, but community nursing appealed to me and so I went for an interview and was accepted for the course.

“I began working as healthcare assistant (HCA) for three days a week, with the other two days spent training, backed up by one day a fortnight at Canterbury Christ Church University, where we brushed up on legislation and current practices.”

Bobby began working as an HCA in February 2015 and started her day release studies in April, finishing the course in July. “It was tough to study, work and look after a family at the same time, and at times I found it stressful, but I knew it was only for three months and I was determined to complete the course,” she said. “You just have to be very organised, but it is worthwhile.”

The course completed, Bobby still had to wait from July until November to get her registration ‘PIN’, and she admits to having a few doubts during that time. “I was keen to get out there, but at the same time I was a bit hesitant,” she recalled. “It made me realise that I was going to be accountable.”

Once out in the field, though, the fears disappeared, not least because Bobby knew there was plenty of support back at base – and as one of half a dozen rapid response nurses covering a far-flung 550 square miles there isn’t too much time to brood.

“I love it,” she said. “This is a fantastic service and I am proud to be a part of it. Deciding to sign up for return to practice was the best career decision I have made for a long time.

“What I particularly enjoy is the interaction you get from the patients. Coming away knowing that you have made a difference to someone’s life makes you feel fantastic.”

Life wasn’t all rosy for Sally Vivash when she took the plunge and returned to nursing after a 16-year absence, but the support of her “amazing” mentor Claire Dennis was certainly one of the positives.

“There were times when it was a real challenge juggling life as a student and parent, as well as working as a healthcare assistant (HCA) in a busy and at times under-staffed nursing team, but I’m glad I stuck at it despite the difficulties – and Claire really was fantastic,” said the 52-year-old.

All the students on the Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s return to practice (RTP) course are assigned a mentor to provide support throughout their course.

The returners work as an HCA for three days a week and spend one day working as a student nurse under supervision. The fifth day is spent at Canterbury Christ Church University one week and on private study the next.

One other positive aspect of the RTP scheme mentioned by Sally and her fellow students was the support they received while working hard to achieve re-registration. As well as being provided with a job while training – and having their university course fees paid – the students each received a £500 bursary to help with books and other costs, something they all welcomed.

“Not having to worry about the costs involved is a huge bonus when you are helping to support a family and retrain at the same time,” Sally said. “Most people simply would not be able to put themselves through the course independently, particularly without the guarantee of a job at the end of it.”

After being out of nursing for 16 years and working on a zero hours contract for a care agency, Sally rejoined the NHS in 2014, spending 30 hours a week as an HCA on a busy medical ward at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

“I wanted to get back into the nursing environment but without the stress, which is why I became an HCA, but while at the QEQM I was offered the chance to take the RTP route into community nursing,” she explained. “I didn’t need asking twice.”

After working for seven months at the hospital, Sally moved to Birchington Medical Centre to join a team of community nurses looking after people in a wide area including Minster, Sarre, Cliffsend and Westgate – and she is delighted to have made the switch.

“RTP gives people like me a great opportunity to return to nursing because it is sponsored by the trust, you are given a position and the bursary is a bonus.

Sally’s advice to anyone thinking of following her example was straightforward. “Make sure you have thought it through and that you really want to do it – and don’t take on anything else at the same time – it takes real focus.”

That focus was helped by the broad range of knowledge her fellow students were happy to share. “One of the great things about getting together with the other people on the course was that they had such a huge amount of experience we could all benefit from,” she commented.

“The NHS needs that experience – and that’s why return to practice is such a good idea.”