We are UHB: Jessica Thompson-Kempson, Matron for Healthcare of Older Adults

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals, Birmingham Chest Clinic and Solihull community services.

From when I was a child, I always knew I wanted to look after people and make them better. I did my nurse training in London and my final placement was in an accident and emergency (A&E) department. Once I completed that placement, it completely changed me. I went from a student nurse who had no direction or passion in one area, to a student nurse who was determined to become an A&E nurse. I loved the pace of A&E, the pressure and helping people who were critically unwell.

Soon after I qualified, I relocated to the West Midlands to work as a nurse in A&E at Warwick Hospital. I’d been qualified for a year and a half when I saw a role advertised at UHB in ambulatory care.? As it was a relatively new service, which was very much nurse-led, it interested me a lot. So, I left Warwick and started working at Heartlands Hospital in 2013.?

Circumstances changed at Heartlands Hospital which meant that I was asked to work on Ward 20, which at the time was the Acute Medical Unit (AMU). Working in a new speciality and a different organisation was a steep learning curve for me. It was also a step up to go from a nurse to management, where you’re expected to be more experienced and to be able to challenge decisions. I didn’t know the policies or procedures, and I didn’t know the specialities. It was quite difficult initially, but it didn’t take me long to find my feet and once I settled in, I absolutely loved it. I worked there for four years, and I ended up taking on extra responsibilities, just because I was interested in developing and making improvements. When the timing was right to introduce ambulatory care at Heartlands, I helped establish the service within the AMU, which was really satisfying. Following that, I became Clinical Educator for Acute Medicine and in that role, I really enjoyed working with new staff and watching them develop, teaching them key skills and helping them build confidence. Within the Acute Medicine umbrella, I was going to different wards, working with international students, and was involved with recruitment, being creative in how we recruit staff in UHB. ?

At the start of 2021 I became a ward manager for a 19-bedded short-stay ward. I was in post for two weeks when I moved to a 34-bedded ward and, two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. I was new to a role, adapting to changes around me, building a team, in a pandemic. It’s safe to say I built a lot of resilience during this time! Being a ward manager was one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs I have done, and supporting and developing teams, creating a good working environment with positive outcomes for patients is what I found most rewarding.

Being a ward manager can be lonely, so you need to recognise when you need to take a step back, or what you need to make sure you’re not depleted and can give back to others.?

As a ward manager, I was nominated for a Kind, Connected and Bold award, and it was because I was kind to the whole team. On the busiest of days, I will always make time for my team, having meaningful conversations, and supporting them. Kindness is never wasted.

I am now a Matron in Healthcare for Older People at Heartlands Hospital, and I want to look at what we can do to improve our services for patients. I like to ask, ‘what is working well and what can we do better?’ Success comes from the inside out, and having a team that are on board and passionate about working towards improving the care and the services that we deliver for our patients is pivotal. It's important to enjoy your work, each one of us can make a difference and, together, we can make change.

If you're inspired by Jessica and want to join #teamUHB, visit our jobs website below for all of our current opportunities: