#WeAreSocialCareNursing: why I work as a nurse in complex care

Joanna Grant is a homecare nurse and Chair of the Kent and Medway Social Care Nursing Advisory Council. On International Nurses Day we asked Joanna to tell us why she’s passionate about her role.

I’m a nurse who’s worked with people of all ages who have complex needs and require support in the community where they live. I’ve worked in some form of community care for a very long time now and it’s my passion. I consider it a privilege to be part of people’s everyday lives – whether that be at home, at work, at school, or elsewhere.

Every day is different – one day I might be visiting a young person at school discussing what support they need to enable them to access education and be able to learn; the next visiting an older person who needs care and support to allow them to live in their own home safely. Basically, homecare nurses visit any location where people will be spending their time so we can understand what’s needed to help achieve the goals and outcomes of each individual.

When I visit people and their families at home – I always try to remember that I’m the guest in their home and have been invited in. This is so different to many other types of nursing where the person comes into an environment where they wouldn’t normally spend time.

I consider nurses and carers who work in homecare to be working at the “coal face” – where people are living their lives. We see life as it is for individual people on a day-to-day basis – the struggles, the achievements, and everything in between.

The homecare nurse role is multifaceted and requires specialist skills in many areas. We not only need to understand complex clinical needs but also how to navigate the health, education and social care systems that support each person. The care is personalised to each individual and each plan of care/support is unique and often very detailed.

It’s important to remember we couldn’t do our role without the carers we work with. These carers are the people that work regularly with those we support; building working relationships with individuals and those they encounter each day. Together, homecare nurses and carers form the team around the person to support them to achieve their goals/outcomes which is hugely rewarding.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some skilled and dedicated homecare nurses and carers throughout my career. I encourage all nurses to spend some time working with a homecare nurse to see just how valuable this role is.

I’m proud to say that I’m a homecare nurse!

Find out more about social care nursing.

Sign-up for our #WeAreSocialCareNursing bulletin to keep up with more news and insights from social care workers.

Join in with International Nurses Day 2023 using #IND2023 on social media and have a look at our webpage. 

View our International Nurses Day 2023 video message from our CEO Oonagh Smyth.

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