Talking #TeamCWPT blog

With Vicky Denny, Learning Disability Nurse 

Throughout December, Ashby House and the Lodge, a respite and day service for adults with a learning disability and complex health needs, has been a hive of Christmas activity. Behind it all is a team of passionate staff members who are making a difference to patients, families and carers every day. In the run-up to Christmas, we caught up with learning disability nurse, Vicky, about her career journey to Ashby House, and the real meaning behind all the Christmas magic.

From childhood inspiration to learning disability nursing 

Vicky started her career with CWPT in 2008 as a healthcare assistant in a residential service for people with a learning disability and complex health needs. She had previously begun studying adult nursing at university, but when her son was born with a severe heart condition, she left to focus on his care.

When she began working at CWPT, her priorities had changed. At just 24, she now had a young family to support and returning to university to become a nurse no longer felt like an option. Over time, Vicky says: "all of these opportunities started to come up through the Trust."

Through apprenticeships Vicky has been able to train at the same time as working, first becoming a nursing associate, and now a qualified learning disability nurse. Balancing her training with working and family life has at times been challenging, but it has all been worth it. "During all my training, I've been able to earn a wage. I have 3 kids, and through all their childhood I have been able to go in and out of all those different training opportunities."

When Vicky was first considering nursing at 18, she had never heard of a learning disability nurse, but the passion for supporting people with a learning disability was sewn into her since childhood. "As I was growing up, my dad was always a volunteer in learning disability services, and he was probably my first career inspiration."

Talking about her first role in the Trust, she says: "It was the only residential service at the time that was run by a nurse, and she was the first learning disability nurse that I ever met, and she was amazing."

"Adult nursing is normally the stereotype of what is seen as a nurse, this person in a blue uniform, that's who [people think] a nurse is. For learning disability nurses, our patients need support in every aspect of their life just to live a life like we do. We are potentially impacting lots of parts of a person's life, not just their health."

A role beyond nursing: supporting families, carers, and community

A learning disability nurse's role is varied. As well as providing physical care, they advocate and champion the needs of their service users and support them in all parts of their life. Day to day, Vicky looks after a caseload of patients, completes care plans, risk assessments, and clinical tasks. She also visits families at home, supporting patients' physical health needs and making referrals to other services when needed. It is a role that supports carers and families as much as the individual at the heart of it all.

Bringing people together and creating a sense of community is something Vicky is passionate about, and it brings benefits for service users, families and carers, and staff.  She plans the timetables for the people accessing the day service, as well as events throughout the year including Christmas and a summer fete, coffee mornings for parents, and she is now planning Ashby House's first roadshow, where people can come along and visit support stalls and meet other people.

She says: "Parents [of adults with a learning disability] don't see other parents that are living the same lives as they are; their communities get smaller and smaller as they get older too. It's about letting them know that the sleepless night you have, other parents do too, or that challenge you're facing of trying to get your GP to listen to you, you're not alone."

Supporting staff is also at the heart of many events that Vicky plans. "I think with the things I particularly do, it filters down to the staff, too. As much as the service users are our priority, they can't be supported if our staff are not supported. A lot of the events that we do have staff in their focus as well."

Vicky is dedicated to ensuring the staff at Ashby House and the Lodge feel the same support she has felt throughout her career. It's why the service has introduced staff awards, an employee of the month and a festive Christmas training day.

Bringing the magic of Christmas to service users, staff and families 

As Christmas approaches, Ashby House and the Lodge have been busy preparing for the festive season for the people they support and their families. Vicky is central to organising all the events. "Christmas is alive and kicking at Ashby House, it's literally the best time." The service recently held its Christmas party, which for its service users, offers a meaningful opportunity to celebrate with others.

"Our service users come here because they need a nurse, so if they were going to go to parties, there are a lot of things to do with their health that they need a nurse for, so those things are not always very accessible to them." The event was filled with joy: "We had one service user, who doesn't normally like noise, singing his heart out on the karaoke, along with 3 or 4 of the other guys."

Santa also recently visited the service to give gifts and read stories. It's something which adults with a learning disability often can't do elsewhere. "As they have grown up, the magic you believe in when you're a child has stayed with them. Because of social constraints, it doesn't really make it possible for them to have that anywhere else, as it's just not seen as socially acceptable." Behind all the fun, these activities help people to feel supported and take part in things they might not be able to elsewhere, all while having their health needs met.

Whilst Christmas is an exciting time, the service always balances the preferences and needs of the people they are looking after. "There will be some days where we bring it right back down because we will have some people who find Christmas overwhelming, but that's the beauty of the respite service, everything is adapted to the different people coming in."

The team has just celebrated their annual awards and has also been busy recording their Makaton Christmas video, which uses signs, symbols and speech so that people with different abilities can communicate and understand. "It creates a lovely atmosphere because everyone is busy rehearsing and filming, and then Jodie [service manager] and I come along with our fancy dress box so that staff can use it for the video."

When asked why she does it all, Vicky says: "I hope that the difference I make, whether big or small, just makes people's lives a little bit easier."

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Thank you to Vicky for sharing her career story and an insight into the wonderful festive season at Ashby House. 

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