Meet Amy, Lead Nurse at Langside School

I would describe myself as friendly, passionate and empathetic.

Before joining Diverse Abilities, I began working part time in Health Care whilst studying Health and Social Care at college. In 2006 I qualified as a Learning Disabilities Nurse and have supported children and adults through many roles within the community. In 2016 I relocated to Dorset, and joined Diverse Abilities in 2017.

My day-to-day role… where do I start? Firstly I am so privileged to come to school and support the amazing children and young people that attend. The families, staff, and everyone involved enable the students to access their education are fantastically dedicated.

The Nursing team are responsible for ensuring all the health needs of the pupils are met - such as medication management and enteral feeding.

Pupils are given a named nurse to oversee their clinical care and there is a nursing assistant allocated to each class. I ensure the co-ordination of all interventions throughout each day, week and term are implemented and delivered to the highest possible standard with the amazing support of the wider nursing team.

We start the day by checking Nourish for updates from parents/carers on all aspects of the pupil’s care. Equipment and medication are checked on arrival and it is the nurses responsibility to ensure that these are all correct and ready to use throughout the day. We are supported to do this by the highly skilled nursing assistants. it’s a team approach - a well-oiled machine!

My biggest challenge has been losing our Lead Nurse, Hazel Thomas. Hazel had dedicated her life to the development of the nursing team at Langside School, and her passion for the clinical services throughout the rest of the charity to improve the lives of everyone supported by Diverse Abilities. We keep Hazel’s memory alive in so many ways and hold a CPD Day in her honour every year.

My favourite memory is supporting older pupils with their residential overnight stay at school as part of the OPT Award. It was amazing to see what the pupils’ lives were like after the school day - so many of them have so many medicines throughout the evening, and I was left wondering how do parents do this as well as cooking dinner and tending to everything else that needs doing? We had such a fantastic night at school - bedtime stories, midnight stories, and relaxation activities. The pupils kept me busy with nursing interventions throughout the night, but it was amazing to be a part of it. Many pupils would never have the opportunity to sleep away from home with their peers, it was a privilege.

What would my advice be for new starters? Welcome! If you have the passion to make a positive impact on people’s lives, then this is the place for you!