My name is Sara Hudson and I am the professional lead for community matrons across DCHS. Before starting this role I was a community matron, based in Whitwell, for 12 years.
I am so passionate about the community matron role and the high quality care we can deliver with our enhanced practice level skill set. It means we can provide patients and their carers and relatives with the very best care they deserve.
I have been nursing now for almost 20 years, having started my career in August 2002, and I recently became a Queen’s nurse, which is a real privilege and something I’m very proud to have been honoured with.
I have always worked in the community. Adult nursing, caring for the frail and elderly, is my passion. At the age of 16, I started working as a carer in a nursing home at weekends, whilst studying at college before starting my nurse training at Derby. I loved ensuring residents were well cared for, making them smile and generally found it very rewarding to make a difference to their day.
When I started as a community matron 12 years ago most of the role involved caseload patient care where a patient was admitted onto a matron caseload and was rarely discharged from the list unless they were admitted to hospital or unfortunately died.
The role was primarily about managing patients’ comorbidities (combinations of illnesses), long term conditions and polypharmacy (complex prescribing for two or more different conditions).
In recent years we have really expanded our expertise. Today a community matron is likely to be involved in enhanced-practice case management for a fast-flowing caseload, care home residents’ health management and home visiting models.
The role today involves providing clinical expertise in a whole range of areas, from ageing well and frailty clinical care, right through to practical diagnostic and consultation skills and prescribing or omitting medications if required. This is beneficial, not only to us as professional clinicians because it extends our role, but more importantly it means we are able to look after our patients and families in so many more ways.
I have worked for DCHS for 18 years and hope always to work here. I feel incredibly proud and love working for an outstanding trust and believe it follows all the values I hold. I have always been supported through my career journey professionally and personally, being empowered and enabled to combine my career with the care of my two boys. I’ve always felt supported at work to achieve my potential and have felt valued as an individual.
I had the opportunity to develop into the professional lead role following a secondment process and realised that working across the county with all community matrons would make an even greater difference in patient and staff care, experience and outcomes. This being a new role has demonstrated the need for our community matrons’ voices to be heard and to showcase the amazing service our community matrons provide.
Delivering enhanced care to our patients requires a high level skill set and knowledge and as our service is being recognised for the enhanced level of care we provide we felt it was fitting to acknowledge this through our newer updated job title of Enhanced Clinical Practitioner. This new name highlights the level at which we are delivering care, inclusive to all groups, irrespective of characteristics, and mirrors the enhanced capability framework we will be supported by. I am so proud and extremely privileged to have the opportunity make a difference in this amazing, exciting enhanced clinical practitioner team.