Laura is currently working as a trainee Advanced Practitioner in an Adult Community Mental Health Team at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.
Laura is a registered Mental Health Nurse by professional background and has previously worked across a multitude of mental health services before commencing on her advanced practice journey.
Laura works at Level 7 across the four pillars of
advanced practice
| Clinical | – Supporting care coordinators in the team with clinical risk management decisions – Comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, formulation, treatment, and discharge of service users – Supporting duty rota with response to medication queries, advice, triage & emergency assessments |
| Leadership | – Taking role of clinical lead in the team & covering for team leader when required – Working collaboratively between services, liaison meetings between primary, secondary & joint working with the third sector |
| Education | – Training sessions for staff to enhance knowledge & confidence – Educating service users & their carers |
| Research | – Clinical audits & implementing changes based on the findings – Reviewing policies & procedures to improve service delivery – Reviewing care & treatment pathways & implementing evidence based changes |
What inspired you to become an advanced practitioner?
It was clear to me that Advanced Practitioners can lead and support transformation of services, particularly in mental health allowing them to address the unmet needs of our service users. I think it’s important for healthcare professionals to be able to broaden their capabilities to improve quality of care for our service users. I also wanted to develop and build my career whilst remaining in a clinically-based role, advanced practice offers this opportunity.
Feedback from a colleague: “Laura continually offers formal and informal case supervision, consciously makes herself available to meet the needs of the team. Further to this Laura understands the limitations of the team and advocates for a balance between meeting the needs of other services and recognising when to protect the teams capacity”
How does Advanced Practice Benefit Patient Care?
Advanced Practitioners working in the mental health setting play a key role in bridging the gap between physical and mental health, particularly with the skills learned in the physical assessment module of the Advanced Practice MSc. These skills are particularly useful in mental health as people with severe mental illness have up to 20 years reduction in life expectancy than the general population, most commonly due to physical health conditions which are unrecognised and untreated. This role benefits patients through the ability to manage both mental health conditions, but also support the same patients to access care and support of physical health needs.
Alongside this, Advanced Practitioners also are a key facilitator in service transformation, identifying and supporting changes for the benefit of service users, such as supporting to wider pathway discussions around treatment pathways. One example of this is supporting the implementation of peer supported open dialogue training, which is an individual specific approach that puts patients at the centre of their support network. It is adapted to their unique needs when working with adults accessing mental health services, the service is a pilot site and this being developed over 2024, with the early delivery already started.
Feedback from a colleague: “Laura supports me to think outside the box when supporting patients. Laura also works very hard to ensure we build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Laura is innovative and inspiring with regards to supporting the team to improve the service, for us as professionals, for our service users and family/carers”
How do you see your Future as an Advanced Practitioner?
I am currently a relatively newly qualified non-medical prescriber, and look forward to continuing to build my confidence in this skill set, to the benefit of both patients and the wider service, whilst implementing improvements that will allow for more seamless and responsive care.
I am due to qualify in July 2024 and will be creating a job plan that fits the needs of the service. The aspiration is to incorporate up to 80% clinical time with the remaining 20% dedicated to education, research and leadership. I will be supporting the continuing work on improving our ADHD pathway, which includes a training package to support staff who are caring for patients whilst they are on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. Educationally, I am keen to continue to support development opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team in the Community Mental Health service, which includes development through delivery of training.
What is the most enjoyable part of your training, and what is the most challenging?
The most enjoyable part of my role is being able to expand my skills to benefit patient care. My role aims to provide a seamless service from start to finish by supporting adult patients with severe mental health needs to remain in the community, and so prevent hospital admissions. The most challenging part of my training has been juggling the academic work alongside my clinical role and developing my leadership skills, these have been made less challenging with careful planning and support from the wider team, as well as prioritising my own self-care.
Feedback from a patient: “Given the extensive knowledge and expertise of an Advanced Practitioner, it has been exceedingly reassuring to have Laura coordinate my care and support me with my mental health. Her deep understanding of medication and ability to prescribe have been of additional benefit as I can speak directly with someone I trust, and I have built a relationship with rather than wait to see a doctor. This is not only of benefit to my care but is also a far more efficient operating model for the health service. Additionally, I have been able to see Laura on a regular basis which has facilitated the building of a trusted relationship – something which is of great value to me as I can struggle with new interactions and seeing multiple clinicians. Due to her training as an Advanced Practitioner, my frequency of interaction with Laura has enabled her to adjust and amend my treatment plan according to any changes in my situation/need. This in turn has allowed for a far more effective, responsive and in some instances proactive approach than if I had to wait for routine appointments.”
Read more advanced practice case studies from the South West region here