We are UHB: Penny Nevin, Clinical Educator

I joined Heartlands Hospital in 1988 as a medical secretary; I was 17 at the time. It was around 25 years later when my mum was a patient at Good Hope Hospital that I first started to think about a career in nursing. And it wasn’t until she sadly died, that I decided it was time to stop thinking about it and to do something about it.

Rather than just go straight into nursing, I went to be a healthcare assistant on a ward at Heartlands Hospital. I was absolutely petrified when I started, I felt so out of my comfort zone as I’d only ever looked after my mum. I remember thinking what on Earth have I done? But then as time went by my confidence grew. I just knew this was the path I wanted to take.

So, at the age of 45 after passing a foundation course, I went to university to study nursing. I was scared because I thought I would be so much older than everyone else, but in reality what I thought was going to be a negative, turned into a positive. I had life experience on my side and it made things fit into place. By this point, my daughter was a nurse so it was a nice role reversal as she supported me, helping me to revise and giving me words of encouragement; it was lovely.

After I qualified I went back to the emergency department at Heartlands but decided after a while that it wasn’t for me and someone suggested community nursing. I had never considered community nursing but I thought why not? So I started with the Solihull Community Nurses during the pandemic and from day one, I just loved it. During lockdown we were the only people going into patients’ homes, and were often the only people they would see from one day to the next, it felt like such an honour to visit them and provide their care.

People have a pre-conceived idea on what community nurses do, they think it’s all about dressings and pressure ulcers but there really is so much more to it! Community nursing requires a really diverse range of nursing skills that are very hands-on. For many patients, a community nurse will care for them at the end of their life. We are there to make patients comfortable at home and provide support for their families because it can be quite daunting looking after someone you love, towards the end of their life. Many people haven’t done it before and they need support, and we are there to give them that, sometimes it is just letting them know that we are at the end of the telephone if they have questions. Community nursing is also about supporting a patient to stay at home, if it is appropriate, and safe for them to do; most people given the chance would rather stay at home and receive their care, rather than go into hospital.

I really feel like it is an honour to be a community nurse. It can be very busy with lots of visits and the moment I go into a patient’s home my focus is completely on them. People smile when you when you go into their home and they're pleased to see you. When you get to know them and they confide in you, they tell you about their family. In the time in their home, you're in that little bubble. You haven't got the other distractions and your time is dedicated to them.

Coming from a hospital environment to community I think I understand some of the challenges that new community nurses might have. That is why I applied for a new role within our division, as a clinical educator. I was successful and my focus is on helping new nurses feel competent and comfortable in their role.

My advice for anyone thinking about community nursing is to do it. It's amazing. I haven’t looked back.

Are you interested in joining our team? We currently have vacancies within community nursing and clinical education. Find out more here: