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Q and A With Helen Davies, NHS Clinical Director, Celebrating 35 Years in the Organisation

The Highs, the lows and what’s not changed when working as a Nurse in the NHS ….

As you look back on the last 35 years, celebrating your anniversary this week, what are the highs of the last 35 years for you?

I have three main highs …. Firstly, going right back to the beginning and passing the entrance test that meant I got into nursing. I finally had a chance to show what I could do despite having no decent qualifications!

I also love my current role and that is a real high. In fact, I still can’t believe I’m the first nurse in the country to be a Clinical Director on the commissioning NHS side.

And of course, a major high is my NHS family. We are as diverse as the people we serve. The humour and comradery between us is what gets you through every day.

I’m guessing there will have been some lows as well?

Yes, I found it very hard having to hide my dyslexia and dyslexic issues. And also, my severe dislike of spreadsheets. These together meant that I felt I was looked down on at times. It’s also been hard being part of the healthcare system during two of the most impactful crises we have faced…Aids and the covid pandemic.

During the initial period when Aids came to the forefront and there was a massive amount of ignorance, the homophobia was just shocking, which I found professionally and personally difficult.

Covid we rose up to deal with but the consequential general mental health crisis is a real worry. Did you know that Oxford University recently reported an increased risk of suicide of nurses and indeed Laura Hyde Foundation identified a 15% increase in 2022 compared to 2021. This is a call to action and I am pondering how best to do my part.

You mention that some things don’t change … what are they?

Leadership is everything … it makes a world of difference to your team, performance and the quality of service our patients get.

Being humble is important, I’m still learning and remain committed to lifelong learning & development. Healthcare is an evolving world which we all strive to keep up with!

‘My boss’ is the patient. The main focus always has to be that I make sure I do the best by them today, tomorrow and always.

In your 35 years, what firsts and innovation have you been part of, and what leadership roles did you have most impact in?

I was very lucky to be on the team for one of the first medical assessment units. I also enjoyed leading one of the first ever rapid response teams. Later on I created one of the first ever ‘nurse consultant’ roles. I was also on the team that helped develop the first ever nurse practitioner’s Masters Degree.

I was at the forefront to ensure that clinicians were out on the Clinical Desk supporting the ambulance service in parts of England & Wales bringing better care to those patients. I Enjoyed leading the development of walk-in centres, a new convenient no appointment based service, that I led for the South of England. I also developed a ‘hospital at home’ model which impacted positively for patients receiving high quality health care within the comfort of their home.

Amusingly, I believe I was the first nurse to wear trousers and a tunic at Greenwich Hospital. Female staff were expected to wear dresses - if you have ever had to run round a hospital answering cardiac arrest bleeps to help out in them, you would realise how unpractical it is to be in a dress when doing chest compressions on the floor!

I am now openly non-binary and lead the first Transgender Healthcare Board in the country and have the title of Clinical Director for Transgender Care.

I am also just about to embark on another forward-thinking initiative for an NHS organisation, supporting ADHD and ASC folk who are in the system and are waiting for assessment. This massively changes the waiting experience and ensure that people in need are getting some support, rather than feeling in limbo whilst they are waiting.

As well as working within the NHS, Helen helps even more people through her Practical Wisdom offering, which supports parents and also neurodivergent adults and the organisations that they are in. Where does this super woman find the time?

Interview conducted by Antonia Brindle at Get Brindled.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Toms .