“I have enjoyed every step of my nursing career over the last 40+ years.”

To mark International Nurses Day on 12 May, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating its diverse nursing workforce. The annual awareness day recognises the significant role nurses play in proving patients with exceptional care and compassion within the Trust and its services.

As part of this, the Trust is spotlighting Narinder Ghei, Specialist Health Visitor at Derbyshire Healthcare. Narinder shares her extensive experience of nursing from her early days working with elderly patients to her time in the Accident and Emergency Department, and to her current role having specialised in Health Visiting for the Disabled Children’s Health Visiting Team.

What inspired you to become a nurse?

While on my secondary school work placement, I visited Old Pastures Hospital and Arboretum House, a day unit for elderly patients. I really enjoyed these placements, as they allowed patients to interact with younger people and recount their life experiences. Their stories were fascinating and sometimes poignant, prompting me to reflect on the challenges some individuals faced in the early 1980s.

I also had a couple of close relatives that were nurses who loved their vocation and I wanted to be like them. At the time they wore the starched uniforms, hats and capes, which part of me did love the uniforms and professionalism that they showed. To this day they are still practicing nursing 50 years on one in Derby and the other in Canada.

How long have you worked in nursing, and where did your career begin?

I've spent nearly 42 years in nursing, beginning at age 18 as a pupil nurse and qualifying as an enrolled nurse. My career has included theatre work, general outpatients, and A&E nursing, where I enjoyed varied experiences and formed lasting friendships.

I later qualified as a Registered General Adult Nurse. After, I transitioned to community care as a District Nurse. I pursued a degree in healthcare nursing and then went on to specialise in health visiting. My career has encompassed various roles. However, since 2004, I have consistently worked within the field of Children and Young People with Complex Disabilities, where I remain dedicated to this are.

What has been the most rewarding part of your nursing journey so far?

I have enjoyed every step of my nursing career over the last 40+ years. I formed my closest lifelong friendships during my time working in the Accident & Emergency department at the former Royal Derby Infirmary in Derby.  

This was the second longest place I worked as an enrolled nurse and then as a staff nurse.

The role was very challenging in so many ways due to not knowing what was coming through the doors. This kept me on my toes though and is what brought so much experience my way. I have seen a lot of emergencies that most nurses would not see today. For example, being roadside and treating casualties from road traffic accidents with a doctor and going into patient’s homes when they have had a cardiac arrest from my days when the flying squad, known as a rapid emergency response team, were called out by the ambulance crew.

Currently, working in the Disabled Children’s Health Visiting team as a Specialist Disability Health Visitor for 22 years has surpassed my A&E experience. I retired in October 2021 but chose to return to my post. I take pride in that, prior to brief retirement, I didn’t take a lot of time off sick and realised that during any time I was off I was keen to return from missing my colleagues and the families I support.

The leadership in the children’s service is excellent and so supportive. They recognise the Specialist Disability Health Visitor role and the expertise knowledge that comes with it. Both my colleague and I are seen by management and our commissioner as advocates for disability, they will come to us for our thoughts and recommendations. This really makes us feel valued and recognised as nurses.

Is there a moment in your career that you are particularly proud of?

I was approached by a Consultant Paediatrician at the Ronnie MacKeith centre in Derby to support a Research Consultant in Bradford that was undertaking a three-centre research project on the topic of consanguinity, which is to do with first cousin marriages, and the impact of disability in the South Asian Community. Derby was one of the centres chosen and I was active in organising focus groups and individual interviews for this topic area. It was rewarding to have been mentioned in the qualitative piece of research work as I helped set up all the interviews and focus groups.

Can you describe your current role and what a typical day looks like?

My current role involves managing my caseload of children under five. The main work I undertake is with the parents and carers of children under five who have a diagnosed disability. 

The core services that are provided are around supporting parents and carers with advice around post diagnosis support and advice with complex sleep difficulties, challenging behaviour, rigid and restrictive feeding and developing children with disabilities their acquisition of toilet training skills. I also lead on individual assessments and care planning with parents and carers; provide information about disability services; and make onward referrals to other appropriate health, social care and education and charitable and voluntary services.

What difference do you feel your role makes to patients or colleagues?

We receive positive feedback questionnaires from families which are positive for all the team, identifying how we are a supportive, valuable and knowledgeable service for them. 

What advice would you give to someone starting a career in nursing?

I have supported one of our administrators to undertake her access course and she has since gone on to complete her nurse training.

I would encourage anyone to undertake a nursing career as I have found my career to be beyond rewarding. 

What helps you stay motivated during busy or difficult periods?

The families keep me motivated and my team are very supportive of each other, which always helps!

How do colleagues and teams support each other where you work?

We ensure we have a short meeting on the day that staff cross over to ensure we are all okay and all have a safe space to talk about how the workload is and welcome any new ideas or approaches to improve service delivery.

What does International Nurses Day mean to you?

This makes me feel proud that our profession is celebrated for what we do.

What would you like people to better understand about the nursing profession?

Nursing is not just a profession it’s a vocation that helps a person to grow and understand the lives of other people. I help to support the geographical area I work within to better population health and access, which in itself is rewarding as I am giving back to those in the community.

How does it feel to have nursing recognised and celebrated?

I am proud to have received my 40 years’ service award from Mark Powell, Chief Executive at Derbyshire Healthcare, recognising my long career with the NHS. This came even more of a surprise as Mark visited me at work on Christmas Eve!

What makes you proud to be a nurse at this Trust?

My colleagues in our small team, along with Paediatricians, Health Visitors, therapy professionals, management, and commissioners and all those involved in children's services, make me feel appreciated and recognised for my contributions.  

What excites you about the future of nursing?

We are currently doing some work around the new national genetic testing and how disabilities will be diagnosed sooner, which we hope will help to increase the need for more nursing and specialist nursing around this area of work.

What would success look like for you over the next few years?

Success would mean to continue to be part of a supportive team that are advocates for disability. 

I haven’t decided to retire completely yet, since it’s difficult to step away from something you truly enjoy.