Emma, Complex Case Nurse, and current CLEAR Anticipatory Care Associate at Hyde Primary Care Network, reflects on how the National CLEAR Programme has shaped her career.
Throughout my nursing career, I’ve had a passion for improving care for the elderly and those living with Dementia. During my time working in secondary care, in both complex elderly medicine and discharge planning, I lay witness to some of the poor outcomes experienced by this vulnerable patient group.
I wanted to make a difference and felt much of the improvement required, needed to happen at home, before a patient reaches hospital and with this, I moved in to a community role to enhance the quality of life of those living in care homes and help prevent avoidable decline.
I was presented with an opportunity by my organisation to be part of a national CLEAR project in Anticipatory Care which further fuelled my desire to improve patient outcomes using a proactive approach.
As a frontline healthcare worker I felt like there may be other or better ways of doing things but didn’t know where to begin.
Through the CLEAR programme and the educational content provided, I now possess the skills and knowledge to seek out the challenges and to use data to evidence recommendations and change, enabling me to take my passion for change and improvement forward.
In completing the Programme I have contributed to a project which aims to implement a new model of care proactively supporting those living with Dementia. The CLEAR programme has helped me to realise my ambitions for wanting to make a difference in improving patient care and I feel empowered and encouraged to apply my knowledge to future projects.
My CLEAR journey has been one of the highlights of my career to date, I am proud of our project achievements and all I have learnt but the experience for me extends much further.
The CLEAR ethos of empowering clinicians to drive change and innovation results in an inspiring collective of healthcare professionals who are there to support you at every step in the programme.
I have learnt a great deal from both the CLEAR faculty and the other Anticipatory Care programme associates, which I know will change and shape my future practice.
