Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust

What is it like to work here at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare?
It’s great. Hounslow has got very different needs to Richmond. Here, there are a lot of vulnerable families, poverty, asylum seekers and people who move in and out of the area. It’s a good place to work because there are a lot of different challenges. In Richmond, you tend to have more affluent areas and so the needs are different. There are a lot of different cultures here so you’re always learning. It’s very diverse and interesting. It’s unlike anywhere else I've worked before.

What is the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of working here?
I find supporting the families particularly rewarding if you’re working with first time parents or those who won’t get much support otherwise. It’s really nice going into their homes and speaking to them when they've just had a baby. It’s a lovely thing that we have the chance to do. I like supporting them and watching them grow in confidence. You sometimes have the chance to see some families quite often and build a good relationship with them.

How does working here help your career?
I think it’s been a good start, particularly working somewhere like Hounslow which is quite challenging. It’s given me lots of experience that I wouldn't have got in other areas. I have my own case-load of families. As a nurse, you share patient care, and in health visiting, there is still an element of that, but you are also given families that you are specifically responsible for.

How would you describe the support and training?
It’s good. Our manager’s got an open door policy and you see and hear a lot from them which is nice. There is a lot of training here. When I started, I was surprised at how many study days there are. There’s also a lot of safeguarding training available. There are a lot of opportunities for extra training and they are good at keeping you up-to-date. It definitely enables you to progress. We have a good work culture. All the managers are very approachable and there’s good communication. The teams are quite big and everyone is happy to help each other out and look after each other.

What’s it like to work here at HRCH?
I joined the trust from Wandsworth, so it’s a different area. I find it an easy trust to fit into because I think senior management here at HRCH are quite visible, especially in my team. We have good access to our senior managers which is helpful. We know who they are so the teams are friendlier. They’re quite open to flexible work. Also, if a member of staff is having problems with health, they will do their best to work round that. They’re very accommodating with all those things.

In your opinion, what makes HRCH unique?
There are advantages with not being attached to a particular hospital as the teams are more dynamic. The fact that it’s more independent works better in my opinion. Although it’s one trust, there are also quite a lot of different methods of providing care.

What is the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of working here?
I think it’s seeing the difference we make to families and children that spent a lot of time in hospital initially, before they had received our care. There’s a child I saw this morning for the first time since the summer holidays who, since I’ve been here, I’ve seen once a week every week for many years. In the summer time, he had a particular operation and he really is a child transformed. He’s doing great and I consider him a success story. I think watching the children change is the most rewarding aspect of my work. The other really rewarding aspect, although a very different kind of reward, is when a child reaches the end of life and you’re helping the parents so they can get to the point where they can accept it and let go. It’s definitely a lot more intimate than hospital nursing.

How would you describe the support and training?
I can’t fault the support. When I’ve had problems, there have been very good support from my immediate manager and senior manager. I’ve had the opportunity to go on the comparative study, which fits in with the work.

What is it like to work here at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare?
People are friendly and welcoming. The work environment is very good because the patients are calm and are easy to work with. The nurses have more time for the patients because it's not acute setting. When the patients come here they don't want to leave us because they have received the best care we offer. It’s very nice and rewarding to work here. I thought of coming here because I liked the place so much when I visited.

In your opinion, what makes Hounslow & Richmond unique?
It is the way they look after their patients. It is different from other places because when I came here the way they handled the patients and their complaints is quick and they try hard to satisfy them. The patients also get free things such as television. In other hospitals, you have to pay to use the television but everything here is provided. HRCH look after the staff as well because they think about the long hours and how they're not suitable for us. If you work long hours then you get tired and worn out but if you work these set hours then you can get deliver the best care the patients need. They are very good at looking after us. When you come here you are also given proper training in order to work well with the patients.

How does it compare to other places to work?
Compared to other places, I have more time for my patients because it is not an acute setting and it is a slower pace. Here you have your whole time with the patients to give them the care they need. I have more time for my patients than in acute setting. I look after about eight to ten patients a day and I find that I have enough time to look after them. I don't do night shift but I do early shift and late shift because I requested not to do nights. They're good at considering our needs.

What is the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of working here?
The most enjoyable thing is that we work as a team and our patients give us a lot of compliments which is good for morale and to deliver more care. To me, it is also about being pleased with the work I've done and the care I've delivered to patients. The teams are close and we help each other. If there's something you don't know then people are very willing to help, especially if you're new and have to learn the policies and the procedures. The way of working is a little bit different

What is it like to work here at HRCH?
On one hand it’s an excellent opportunity to work as an autonomous health practitioner and on the other it’s knowing that behind me there is a NHS trust to support and help me in my decision-making process. The safety and health promotion of the patient is paramount and the rest is a field full of autonomous opportunities to explore!

In your opinion, what makes Hounslow & Richmond unique?
It has to be the ample learning and training opportunities that it provides. Be careful in what you agree to in your appraisal; the trust will help you to achieve it all the way up!

How does it compare to other places?
It’s the variety of skills you will develop within primary health care. This includes ad hoc vital assessments; exploring the large field of tissue viability; providing dignified care to patient and families in distress; community intravenous therapy and much more.

What is the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of working here?
Long lasting relationships with patients! A relationship with each patient will help to enhance and improve overall health within a whole community.

How would you describe the support and training?
You feel supported in all the learning of skills that you need to fulfil your role as a competent practitioner. However, is also about your learning needs so again the trust will support you in your aims. It’s great that the trust employs newly qualified nurses and develops you from the beginning!

Do you have the opportunity to have variety/move departments/grow as an individual?
Community nursing is about multidisciplinary work. Working with other colleagues from health and social care will open many avenues for you to explore and enhance your knowledge. For example, I got a special interest in supporting people to manage long term conditions to improve their overall health and enhance health promotion.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining?
Enough of thinking about it! Just go to www.hrch.nhs.uk and apply! Very approachable people in the interview panel too.

What is it like to work here at HRCH?
HRCH is a really good trust to work. They give you really good opportunities and we are given a lot of training. We get a good patient and case workload because of Teddington, Twickenham and Richmond. It’s quite an affluent area so you see a lot of people. You also learn a lot from others and it’s really nice to have support from other members of the team.

In your opinion, what makes Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare unique?
We are able to offer the patients more. Here, it’s all about using the most relevant research and techniques. It’s a lot more research orientated. Most people have also been here for a long time so it’s a bit like a family. It has a low turnover whereas some trusts have a really high turnover where they have different people in every day.

What is the most enjoyable/rewarding aspect of working here?
I think the most enjoyable is the team – there is some really nice teamwork. Everyone is always willing to help as well which is nice. The most rewarding would be helping other people. We get students here and band five physiotherapists, which are junior physiotherapists, and it’s nice to supervise them and help them to improve.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining?
Apply! Look around the departments and just go for it. Check out the department and meet the people so you can make sure you’re going to fit in the team. The most important thing is that you feel that you can fit in. You also need to have work experience. Research the trust and talk to as many people from the trust as possible. I worked here for four months as a band five vocational physiotherapist so I knew the team really well. I would definitely recommend HRCH as a place to work.