Hello, my name is Paula and I am a learning disability nurse consultant, I’ve been in post in Swansea Bay UHB for almost 18 months. At one of my first 1:1’s I told my boss, Hazel, that I was thinking about writing a blog about what it’s like to be a nurse consultant. Hazel encouraged me to do this, and I went and set up this account in March 2019 but have only just got round to writing my first post.
Safe to say it has been a very busy 18 months and I have loved every minute!
Now feels like a perfect time to write my blog (new year, new me and all that jazz!) particularly because this is the year of the nurse and midwife and in learning disabilities we are keen to continue with the momentum from our 100 year celebrations, in 2019 we held lots of birthday parties and other events to commemorate the entry of registrants to the learning disability profession.
I wanted to write a blog about being a nurse consultant as I had been interested in the role for some time and when looking into the nurse consultant network to get a sense of who nurse consultants were and what they did I became even more intrigued.
My hope is that this blog becomes a source of information and inspiration for future learning disability nurse consultants, giving an insight into the activities and experiences as well as demonstrating the opportunities and challenges of the role.
What is a nurse consultant? What do they do?
Nurse consultants are leaders within the profession, the role is about delivering expert practice, leading on key areas of health policy, facilitating nurse leadership and enhancing research. Clinical practice, quality improvement teaching and research are key requirements of the role. Nurse consultants create new roles, succession plan and develop the nursing workforce, inspiring and promoting opportunities for other nurses to demonstrate their potential, skill and experience. Ultimately improving services and opportunities, holding the people who use our services in their hearts and minds.
I am the only Learning Disability Nurse Consultant in Wales, I work in partnership with my heads of nursing colleagues and the lead nurses in our deliver unit for learning and development and quality improvement and colleagues from other professional groups to drive up quality, safety and increase positive outcomes.
I am very lucky in that I get to meet regularly with other senior learning disability nurse leaders from other health boards in Wales and they are a vital source of support and information. I have also been able to link into the UK Learning Disability Nurse Consultant network, liasing regularly with experienced nurse consultants from across the UK who have shared ideas, their research, updates on how they are working on key policy areas and most of all their support.
I’ll be sharing an insight into my weeks at work and hope that this will be interesting and inspiring for those who want to know more about the role.
Learning Disability Nurse Consultant 