Sarah Jackson
Consultant Nurse & Associate Director of Nursing
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
I began working in NHS learning disability settings in 1999, and since then I’ve carried out a variety of clinical, operational and programme management roles. I qualified as a registered Learning Disability Nurse in 2004; completing a BSc (Hons) in Professional Learning Disability Studies in 2009; and later an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice, in addition to undertaking Non-Medical Prescribing (V300).
Whilst completing my MSc, myself and colleagues co-developed an autism framework of care to help staff improve their understanding of communication, sensory, person-centred, and positive behavioural approaches. As a result, I was nominated and came runner up for the North West Workforce Modernisation Hub Innovation Awards 2011, and was nominated for the Learning Disability Nursing Award at the prestigious Nurse of the Year 2013 awards, and came second in this category.
In the past six years I have worked in a national role for NHS England and Improvement’s national learning disability and autism programme, my roles have included working within the ‘Improving Lives’ team, co-leading programmes such as ‘Ask, Listen, Do’, ‘STOMP-STAMP’, the ‘Care, (Education) and Treatment Review’ refresh, and latterly the national autism team.
Currently I serve as Consultant Nurse for Autism and as Associate Director of Nursing within Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
I clinically lead a new autism outreach team and support the development of autism pathways across the Trust. I’m also about to embark on the Approved Clinician training part-time at Northumbria University.
As an extension of my role, I sit as a member of the RCN Learning Disability Forum Steering Group, and I am a co-chair of the North West Learning Disability Nurse Forum. Learning disability nursing is a great choice of career, and the opportunities and range of roles are endless!
Lucy Keniford
Consultant Nurse in Learning Disabilities/Associate Director of Nursing
My name is Lucy Keniford and I work at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. I am aligned with the newly formed Discharge Co-ordination team, working to expedite the discharge of service users in out of area placements back into the LSCFT footprint and into appropriate community services.
My passion for working with people with Learning Disabilities started at an early age; I undertook voluntary work from age 14 at a local school for children with severe, multiple and profound Learning Disabilities. I worked within the school’s overnight unit, which offered respite care for 6 children each night.
I had always wanted to be a nurse and subsequently decided that I wanted to be an LD nurse.
I undertook my nurse training aged 18 at Sheffield Hallam University and my first post on qualifying was at Calderstones (now Merseycare, Whalley), which is a forensic inpatient unit.
I stayed at Calderstones for 19 years and in that time held various roles, including staff nurse, deputy ward manager and acting ward manager.
In 2009 I had the opportunity to undertake the MSc in Advanced Practice at UCLAN, which was a great learning and development opportunity.
I subsequently completed my NMP training in 2013.
My role as Advanced Clinical Practitioner then included leading on the physical health care for service users at Calderstones; which included undertaking annual physical health checks, leading on immunisation and vaccination programmes and prescribing for minor physical health care needs.
In 2015 I moved to Guild Lodge (LSCFT) as a ward manager within the women’s service and was consequently appointed as Matron for the inpatient Women’s Service.
I came into my recent post in July 2021 and am really excited to be back within Learning Disability services and look forward to developing into my role and making a difference in the lives of people with a Learning Disability.
Christine Hutchinson
Consultant Nurse, Approved Clinician & Associate Director of Nursing
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
My nursing career in learning disability nursing started when I was at a cross roads in my life, not clear about what I wanted to do. I had volunteered with people with learning disability and heard of the recruitment for nurse training. Once registered it wasn’t long before I moved into the community and I’ve been here ever since. Even when returning for a short time into the inpatient setting. I negotiated a joint inpatient community job plan allowing me to maintain a broader role and focus on keeping people at home where possible. In my 35 year career I have worked with people with learning disability of all ages and with all types of need within the areas of physical health need; mental health need; behavioural need and forensic need.
I have always had an interest in education and in the law which has steered my choices for personal and professional development beyond registration and focussed on courses that would add to my clinical skills. Having worked with many autistic people I have deepened my knowledge of their needs and branched into the service offer for autistic people who do not have learning disability.
I have taken any opportunity that has been presented, some of which have come from the many NHS reorganisations that I’ve been through. This has included secondment opportunities with Lancashire County Council; higher education partners and the Department of Health.
I have established and led many learning disability nursing networks regionally and nationally and through these have the opportunity to influence national policy development and implementation. I have also led on practice innovation and influenced the development of the role of learning disability nursing.
I have been a Consultant Nurse since 2002 a nurse prescriber since 2005, a DoLS Best Interest Assessor since 2008, an expert witness since 2012 and an Approved Clinician since 2014, what has been great about my career is the ability in all of the positions I have had to remain in a clinical role working directly with the people we serve, their families and support structures.
Dr Joann Kiernan
Programme Lead
I have been a learning disability nurse working with people with a learning disability and or autism for over 35 years. I am extremely proud of my profession and the opportunities it has given me to work alongside people who have supported me to develop, listen and learn.
I have worked across an array of services enabling me to meet people of all ages in different areas of provision. Having trained in a top security hospital most of my clinical career has been spent working with people in the community. I joined Edge Hill University in 2000 initially as a lecturer/ practitioner joining full time in 2002. I returned to practice in 2015 as part of a secondment arrangement with Alder Hey Children’s hospital. The role of Consultant Learning Disability Nurse for the trust is a post I very much enjoy.