Suzanne Pert

I work with adults with learning disabilities and within an integrated health and social care team. We aim to support the people we work with in a person-centred and holistic way; when working with family carers/carers/support teams the person is always the focus in the heart of the work we do.

Case work can extend to health education and support, to advocacy and care coordination. At present the main aspect we are battling with in the community is lack of resources, as such it has been pivotal to provide support to my colleagues to enable them to understand and navigate the system; be it via GP services or other community healthcare providers and stakeholders. The work is so incredibly vast and varied it is hard to pin point the main bulk of work but it means, with reduced resources, I am more creative in my approach than ever to ensure needs are met as well as possible.

The principles and values of the programme very much match my own and I want to look to expand and broaden my creativity as well as leadership skills in my approach – this is to inspire and enact change. I am looking for a way to move my learning and development forwards towards leadership and at present with both COVID-19 and current resources issues, it can be difficult to find the energy and inspiration.

In my current area of practice there are so many aspects I would love to develop and move on to enable safer and more person-centred working for the people we serve. This includes around type 2 diabetes management in the community for people with learning disabilities. I feel this fellowship will arm me with more skills, inspiration and I will be re-energised by networking with more RNLDs to share experiences.