Meet Respond’s stoma care nurse, Lynette! 👩⚕️
To celebrate International Nurses’ Day, we sat down with Lynette to find out more about being a nurse for Respond Healthcare.
Here’s what she told us…
How did you get into nursing?
Ever since being a young schoolgirl I aspired to be a nurse. One of my personality strengths is my caring and compassionate approach to people and animals.
I completed my GCSEs and went on to attend Sixth Form whilst waiting to reach the age to apply for Nursing College.
Thankfully, I was accepted at the University of Nottingham, 3 year, Adult Nursing Course. I was based in the Lincolnshire area where I lived. I qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 2004.
How long have you been working for Respond Healthcare?
On moving from an NHS hospital in Buckinghamshire back to my home county of Lincolnshire, I was offered a job with Respond Healthcare. In July 2022 I will have been working for Respond Healthcare for 6 years.
What does your role involve?
I work in the community setting supporting patients who have been discharged from hospital. I provided support and guidance with their stoma care management. I find that a lot of the role of a stoma care nurse involves supporting patients and their families with psychological needs as well as the physical guidance of changing a stoma pouch.
Hospital Stoma Care Teams contact me when a patient is being discharged home whom they feel requires more support in the community. I also support carers and nurses in the community by providing joint home visits and teaching sessions on stoma care management.
Over the past 6 years working for Respond Healthcare, I have also developed quite a portfolio of more complex patient management cases, particularly fistula management. I feel that this has developed into a speciality that I can provide in the community setting. The geographic area I cover is Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, The Peak District and South Yorkshire.
What is your favourite part of being a stoma nurse?
This is my first community role since qualifying as a nurse. I feel it is an absolute privilege to work with people in their own homes. I feel I can provide both education, experienced skills and reassurance for patients and their families. I make a huge difference, as do a lot of nurses, to patients’ quality of life, helping them to adjust to living with a stoma. I build up good rapports with patients and feel that this is made easier out of the hospital/ clinical environment.
Job satisfaction- Seeing a patient manage their stoma and become more confident and relaxed at every visit! Solving sore skin and leakage problems- ‘game changing’ is what patients have told me in the past. Enabling patients to get control of their lives back whilst living with a stoma.
What does being a nurse mean to you?
Wow! Pride in my work. Job satisfaction. A sense of achievement. Part of a massive team of people wanting to improve the lives of their patients and families. Admiration. Respect. Professional.
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I like fast cars – needed for the area I cover!
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