What attracted you to work in prisons?
The prisons were unknown to me and I was receiving text messages from the staff bank to say they were requiring staff nurses. I am a very curious person so thought I need to go in and see what it is like, I loved it! It was so different from any jobs I had done before! So I continued to do bank shifts until my daughter went to school and then I applied for a permanent post that I was lucky to get!
Describe a typical day
Now as an ANP my typical day would consist of reviewing patients who the nurses have listed for an appointment as they felt they required review by myself for diagnosis, review of chronic conditions/acute illnesses etc. There is so much illness and long-term conditions within the prisons! I also help support the staff nurses when they require it. They are fantastic and attend the emergencies and contact me if they require assistance if a patient requires to be admitted to hospital. Alongside that I have various other tasks such as carrying out medication reviews and reviewing bloods or X-ray results.
How much job satisfaction do you achieve?
It is a very satisfying job but I suppose that comes with any nursing job when you are helping people.
What would you say to anyone thinking of joining the healthcare team in prisons?
I do recommend prisons as a place to work in however, I always suggest people come into the prisons for a visit or bank shift before applying for a job to make sure they think they would enjoy it as its quite a unique environment! Everyone I have recommended so far has loved it and students also love coming into the prisons for placements.
Best bargain you’ve ever found?
The best bargain I have found was in TK Maxx when it opened back up. Lots of lovely children’s outfits for £2 or £3, I couldn’t believe it.
What’s always in your fridge?
I don’t usually have anything exciting in my fridge, I am always on and off a diet!
However I have a second fridge under my stairs that is always stacked with juice and alcohol!
Favourite home comfort?
My favourite home comfort is my house coat and my slippers and I can’t choose between them!
Funniest moment?
Still to this day my family think my funniest moment is when I was three years old and I told them I had a chip in my new shoe. My mum thought that I had scraped them and said my shoes were fine. She later discovered when taking my shoes off I had a cooked chip in my shoe!
Best book you’ve ever read and why?
Not much of a book reader…..not much time for books after studying for years and being a busy mum.
What is your signature dish?
My signature dish is lasagne.
Guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is thinking I’m on a diet then making banoffee pie…… well it does have bananas!
What keeps you awake at night?
A teething baby keeps me up at nights – I can’t wait for full night sleeps and long lies!
