Posted on: 11 May 2022
Today (12 May) is International Nurses Day – an annual event that commemorates the birth in 1820 of Florence Nightingale.
It is also a chance to showcase the incredible work of nurses and the difference they make to patients’ lives.
At CNWL, we employ more than 2,000 nursing staff among our mental health, community, offender care and addiction services.
One of these is Lyn Dempsey, a Clinical Nurse Specialist from our Home 1st team in Milton Keynes.
Lyn sent us this lovely piece about how she came to nursing.
Thank you for sharing Lyn.
“I had no work experience of nursing when I started university in 2001. Other students discussed their bank jobs and I said ‘yes I came from NatWest’, I had some funny looks! I had come to nursing at 31 because my oldest child had died and the world as I knew it had changed forever. The personal experiences that brought me here have given me invaluable compassion and insight into the patient’s journey and that of their family. 
“Two interesting placements in community health care led me to my first job in Intermediate care (now Home 1st) in Milton Keynes Community health services. The nurse assessor who inspired me so much is still there, Anne Glossop it is all your fault! 18 years on and I still work for Home 1st and have worked in many of the teams both old and new over that time. I love having students and hope that I inspire them like Anne did me. Nursing is a great career. I feel I have turned a tragedy into something positive. I have given a talk to 6th formers at my children’s school who are doing their BTEC Health & Social Care. We have Nurse Cadets in our area where young people can ‘try before they buy’ to see if nursing and healthcare is for them.
“Community nursing is a way of giving patient ‘the best chance at the best rest of their lives’. This can include nursing patients and empowering patients to make decisions about the end of their lives. We get to see the whole person. Hopefully we will all grow old and most of us have older relatives. I think how would I like to be spoken to?
“Nursing can be sad, it can be tiring but it can also be funny and emotionally rewarding. When you were born in the building that you now work for you have patients come up to you in the shops thanking you for caring for them or their loved one often years ago.
“The past couple of years have been extraordinary for patients and all of us. My experience and adaptability led me to being redeployed twice. Once to the Staying Steady service which was brilliant experience and then back to the inpatient unit that I started my career in, Windsor Intermediate Care Unit. It was a very tiring time both physically and mentally and I rediscovered my love of photography and wildlife as a coping mechanism. Last year I had some photos chosen as runner up in the Arts and Wellbeing competition and won an interesting photography book. Later in the year I achieved my proudest nursing day by being awarded my Queens Nurse award.
“The pandemic also led to online meetings and training and it also opened up new ways of working. CNWL has a vast amount of training and leaning resources. These are now open for everyone including people unable to travel. Sharing knowledge and experience with wider colleagues in the CNWL network has been a great opportunity to see how other areas work and to share ideas.
“My focus during all this time has been on patient centred care, hospital avoidance and multidisciplinary working. Home 1st is an amazing team combining nursing, therapy and social care. My colleagues go above and beyond daily aiming to keep patients at home with a better quality of life. This year on Nurses Day I will remember those nurses known before my training throughout my son’s treatment. In fact, one of my daughters is named after my son’s favourite nurse in Alder Hey. I will also reflect on the fabulous role models that I currently work with and have worked with over the years. In particular two Home 1st nurses who have kept me going over all the years Margaret Stevens and Lorraine Dean. Teamwork ladies.
“I’m sure there will be more to meet.”
You can find more details of our available jobs within nursing on this link: https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work
You can share your local celebrations on social media by tagging @CNWLNHS on twitter and using one of the hashtags: #CNWLNurse, #InternationalNursesDay or #IND2022.
You can read more stories from across our nursing family on our dedicated page here.
You can also read about our Nursing Strategy here.