On Our Mind
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides integrated healthcare services including intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire.
Our On Our Minds blog shares lived experiences from colleagues at the Trust and patients who use or have used our services on a variety of topics from a wide range of services.
Learning Disability Nurses' Day - Shelly Hancock's story about why she became a learning disability nurse
For Learning Disability Nurses’ Day, Shelly Hancock, Preparing for Adulthood Lead (Health) in our Community Children and Young People Service, shares why she became a learning disability nurse and what she enjoys most about her role.
Why did you become a learning disability nurse?
I came into care work quite late on, taking an HCA role in one of the old-style Learning Disability group homes. I absolutely loved it from the first day! I completed my NVQ level 2 in Care with enthusiasm and was offered a secondment to complete my LD Nursing diploma (as it was then). I was lucky to get that opportunity and have loved my varied roles ever since. I have been a registered Learning Disability Nurse for over 20 years!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I have always been passionate about supporting and empowering people who have a learning disability and/or autism and have had the opportunity to have worked in some rather interesting roles in my time. As I have grown and developed through my career, I have been able to support and help others to consider how their practice impacts people with learning disabilities, and how they can empower people through reasonable adjustments to reduce health inequalities and make healthcare Inclusive for all.
I have supported some lovely people and their families over the years, all with their own unique personalities and needs. Each person has taught me something new or help me improve myself.
My current role is not explicitly working with people with learning disabilities, but I am able to use my prior skills and knowledge to make sure they are very much included in the Community Children and Young People’s Preparing for Adulthood and Transition offer.
Why is it so important that we support Learning Disability Nurses' Day?
It is essential to celebrate our Learning Disability Nursing workforce, as they possess a very holistic set of knowledge and skills and are unique. We need to encourage Nursing students into this career path, and to help retain the staff we already have as they are an essential part of the healthcare workforce.
Any advice for those wishing to start their learning disability nursing career journey
I would encourage anyone who is thinking of this as a career path to do it, there are so many transferrable skills in LD nursing. My advice would be to follow your passion! Do not be deterred by a lack of specific learning disability job roles, apply your skills in different roles to help reduce health inequalities for people with learning disabilities, there are a lot of diverse roles where the skills and knowledge you learn over the years will be invaluable. I have worked in Community Care, Acute Care, Local Authority, Children and Young People’s services and Primary Care. There are lots of opportunities out there!
You can find out more about preparing for adulthood and learning disability and our Intellectual and Developmental Disability Service on our recruitment website.
Rate this page or report a problem
