I began working in care as an auxiliary nurse in various posts in residential and nursing homes, including the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in Putney. I qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1978, having trained at St Charles Hospital in London, and specialised in care of the elderly.
I took a break from nursing to fly with British Airways, but continued to work part time as an agency nurse, working in hospitals, nursing homes and the community. I returned to nursing in 1989, and in 1993 gained a Diploma in Professional Studies in Nursing from Southbank University while working as an assistant matron at a 60-bedded joint residential and nursing home in Surrey. I also taught part-time on health and social care courses at Spelthorne Sixth Form College, completing a Certificate in Education the same year.
I joined Surrey Social Services as a case manager for people with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities in 1993, later becoming an operations manager, overseeing a number of case management teams across two Surrey Boroughs. During this time, I was a member of a county panel of senior practitioners who sat weekly to assist case managers with complex cases achieve equity, quality and probity in their care planning.
I moved into commissioning services for people with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities within Surrey Social Services. I sat on the county-wide Acquired Brain Injury Strategy Group, and reviewed and analysed both health and social care services for people with a neuro-disability in Surrey, focusing particularly on the resources used and outcomes achieved. I was seconded to East Surrey Health Authority as commissioning manager, where I negotiated and monitored contracts and agreed quality standards, as well as leading on certain countywide projects such as neuro-disability.
In 2000 I became Strategic Development Manager for Adults and Primary Care, a joint post between Camden Social Services and Camden Primary Care Trust. I worked closely with the specialist physical and cognitive disability team, and completed a BA and Diploma in Social Work in 2002. That year I moved to Woking Borough Council as Head of Policy and Performance, a post from which I retired in 2006, when I joined Head First as a Brain Injury Clinical Case Manager.
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