Meet our trio of new nurses who have recently joined the Neurology Team; Beth Dawson, Rachael Rider and Sam Brook.

We asked them to share more with us on their new roles and what it was that made them apply.

Beth, left, said: “It’s an exciting time just a few weeks into my new role.

“I have been a qualified nurse for more than 10 years, with eight of those at CHFT. My background is mainly surgical nursing, having a small break working as a community nurse, but I find myself coming back to CHFT as I missed the staff, trust values and opportunities it has to offer.

“My new role title is an Epilepsy Specialist Nurse. My role is brand-new to both the trust and the team. It will be varied and based across both Huddersfield and Calderdale. I have already observed shadowing opportunities with home visits, clinic and working with the wider networking teams. I have observed diagnostic testing, and I have lots planned over the coming weeks.

“Long-term I will review patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy, who are unable to come into a hospital setting for various reasons, whether it’s living with a learning disability or autism, mental health, frailty, or generally not able to attend. I will also be reviewing patients in a clinic setting - face-to-face and telephone across both sites.

“Summing it all up I’d say it’s exciting, totally new and a brand-new challenge.”

Sam, centre, also trained and qualified at HRI in 1994, before working in elderly medicine.

She said: ”I took a seven-year gap from nursing but returned 2014 and into non-medical prescribing in 2017.

“You can try other things but for me nursing is my rock and foundation. I have worked mostly in palliative care since my return to practice, latterly as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at a hospice in Leeds.

“However I wanted a new challenge and now I feel like I'm back home, where it all began!

“If you asked me to sum up my role in a few words it would be positively challenging, diverse and meaningful.

And Rachael, right, joined CHFT in 2002 in an administrative role. She qualified as a nurse in 2018, working in oncology and haematology.

She said: “I applied for role of MS Specialist Nurse for new challenge and structured working pattern.

“I enjoy working at CHFT as it's local and familiar and there are lots of good, supportive colleagues.”