A Malvern-based Friends of the Elderly nurse has shared her care-giving story as the charity honours her and her colleagues for the recent National Nurses Day.
Friends of the Elderly, which runs care homes, day care services and a grant giving service for older people living on low incomes throughout England is honouring their registered manager, Rachel Knighton and her team of nurses for their ‘unwavering commitment to making a difference to older people’s daily lives, supporting them to live well in later life.’
Rachel, from Friends of the Elderly Malvern (FotEM), has worked in healthcare for many years, first in hospitals and hospices in Solihull as a nurse and inpatient unit manager and now in her role at FotEM.
Rachel said: “Since I was young, I’d always wanted to be a nurse – to be able to care, support and look after people, is my calling.
When I worked in the hospitals, I found Neurology fascinating and complex. It was lovely to see the patients recover from their injuries and illnesses.”
She is just one of 12 registered nurses working at FotEM, having studied at the Queen Elizabeth School of Nursing in Birmingham, with a focus on palliative care.
After 20 years of experience in other healthcare roles, Rachel wanted a change.
She said: “I had been in my previous role for 20 years and achieved what I wanted to achieve, so felt it was time to explore other avenues. Because of my experience, I had many transferrable skills, so in 2015, I was delighted to become the Registered Care Home Manager at Perrins House, which is dedicated to nursing care at Friends of the Elderly Malvern.
“I love being a part of a caring team that devotes each day to keeping our residents motivated, engaged and safe.
“Their health and well-being are our main priority and Perrins House is their home.
“We are a family and all the team work to make each day a good day for each resident.”
To continue her development as a nurse and to keep up with the ever evolving scope of standards and practices in healthcare, Rachel undertakes continuous and regular re-validation with The Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Rachel also attends sector conferences, regularly training and keeping up to date with newly released nursing journals.
