Hi, I’m Abbie Radley, I’m a clinical lead and community midwife. I have been in the community since 2015, I have done a year secondment as mental health drugs and alcohol specialist midwife also. I adore my job, because I love the relationships I form with women and their families. I love caring for each woman throughout their pregnancies, making sure each pregnancy is individualised and special for them. It isn’t just about delivering a baby, it’s about making sure every woman and family have the best care possible. However, I do also love attending a homebirth to really make the woman’s labour extra special and calming.

I would recommend midwifery to anyone that loves to care, be supportive, and is a good listener.

Being a good listener, it was inevitably easier to do Mental & Leaning Disability nursing when once I gravitated towards nursing. I have loved empowering and supporting patients and families especially those that are most vulnerable. I also love the pride I feel in my work. Being a nurse whilst challenging at times, is most rewarding and fulfilling with a sense of satisfaction and pride in being able to help and support people at their most difficult time. Also rewarding about being a nurse is the numerous career paths that are available within the profession.

How long have you been with the Trust and what is your job role and responsibilities?

I have been with the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust since the end of November 2021 and my key role is to ensure that we deliver on the National Maternity Strategy. Our key priority is that women and their families are placed at the centre of their care and are given choices about their care. Overall, my role is more strategic in terms of delivering on the national agenda, however, I do support the heads of midwifery on each site with any issues or escalations they may have. Governance is a very big part of my role in terms of looking at incidents and outcomes and making sure that they are responded to in a timely manner.

What do you like most about your role?

I love the fact that I come to work to make a difference to women and their families, but I also love working with my team. I like to work in collaboration with our Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnerships, in listening to women’s experiences of our service and to ensure that they have a strong voice in shaping our maternity services.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My role can be quite demanding, so when I do get a bit of downtime, I like to spend it with my family. We like being outdoors, so we go out to the beach quite a lot with our three dogs.

I like to be out in the fresh air and switch off from work, I’m very keen on growing my own vegetables which I do in my free time.

What are your top three all-time favourite things to eat?

I absolutely love pasta in any shape or form with sauce and without sauce- I would eat it every day if I could. I love a roast dinner too with all the trimmings- especially if someone else cooks it for me! Thirdly I love barbecues as it’s linked to the outdoors. There’s just something about alfresco and being outside when the weather is nice!

Name one of the best compliments/praises you’ve received in your personal or professional life.

At my previous Trust a leadership and improvement team came in to work with us for a short period. During a talk they held, the team were asking staff “who do you aspire to be like?”, and suddenly someone said: “Debbie Goldsmith is my inspiration”, then everyone looked at me and the leader of the team said to me: “I’ve been really waiting to meet you”. This was so wonderful and made me feel so proud that somebody gave me such a compliment!

Who inspires you in your personal or professional life?

Professionally it’s Dr Gloria Rowland who I worked with at my previous Trust. She is now my mentor in my new role and I just have so much respect for her in terms of her leadership and professionalism. She puts women at the centre of care and has a very good work ethic. She ensures that there’s equality and diversity across all the maternity staffing groups. I respect and value her opinion so much, to me she is just amazing and an inspirational leader.

Give us an example of a time you’ve displayed the qualities of our values: Excellent, Compassionate, and Respectful.

Once I came out of a meeting ready to go home, and a woman came in who was very clearly in second stage of labour and was about to give birth in the lobby. I got my team and tried to get her to the delivery suite, but at this time we couldn’t move her. We acted fast and surrounded her with sheets so nobody could see what was going on, and we delivered her baby in the corridor maintaining her dignity at all times. I’d say this is a good example of showing excellence and respect as we were able to deliver the baby safely and the mother remained dignified.

I have been a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Continuing Care for 6 years now.

I enjoy having the opportunity to joint work with various professionals across the different sectors such as health, Education, and social care. I also enjoy working with the children and young people on my caseload, providing with the support they require and watching how the work I deliver can make a difference to a child, young person, and their family lives.

Originally, I thought teaching was the career pathway for me, however, I was provided with an opportunity to complete work experience on a children’s ward. During this time, I observed the role of nurses: how they can support the child and their family when they are at their most vulnerable and the impact the role of the nurse can play within the ward environment. This work experience really opened my eyes to a whole new profession I had never even considered before. I enjoyed every moment of this placement and I knew that nursing was something I wanted to be apart of.

I’d like to say a big thank you to the team I work with, the ladies within Children and Young People’s care. Daily we face situations that can be challenging to manage. During COVID-19 our team experienced redeployment, our service faced minimal staffing and a new way of working. Over the past couple of years, we have seen an increase need for our service but through all that we face we still come together as a team daily; we support each other when things seem difficult.

I chose nursing as a career because I was poorly myself as a child/teenager, which raised my awareness of what compassionate care felt like. I wanted to inspire myself and others to be outstanding nurses, and make a difference.

What I have always loved about nursing is, the honour of caring for people during some of their most vulnerable times, and the unique camaraderie of nursing.

If you want to be a nurse, be prepared to work hard and continuously learn. Be patient, caring, observant and curious. Be kind to yourself, and your team, and say thank you often.

I’m the Interim head of nursing for Continuing Healthcare for Mid Essex, Thurrock, Basildon and Brentwood CCGs

I have been a nurse working across many spheres of the NHS for the 28 years, from working in the acute hospital, community and now in the CCG.

I have always wanted to be nurse from the age of 5 when I was bought a uniform and toy stethoscope, and I have never been prouder to be a nurse than I am today, having worked with many people who have become lifelong friends not just colleagues.

Highlights of my career was being awarded the Queens nurse and becoming Personalised care ambassador with the PCI driving me to ensure we provide high quality personalised care for all. I have been privileged to enjoy every aspect of my carer from the first day as a student nurse through where I am today, to make a difference and to learn from others is truly special.

What would I say to someone thinking about becoming a nurse: go for it there is nothing better.

Caring was always a part of my life growing up, I had a lot of Dolls that had injuries and needed a stich or a bandage to make them feel better.

When I was 7 my younger sister needed an operation and I remember being so engrossed in watching what all the doctors and nurses were doing on the ward, from then on, I knew I wanted to be a children’s nurse and care for children and young people to make them better.

Fast forward to when I was 14 and started work experience, I went back to that same ward and spent the 2 weeks stuck to the ward sister’s side, watching, and learning everything she said and did.

I have been a nurse since 2005, I took my first job in the place I trained and spent several years in different roles.

4 years ago I joined the continuing care team.

I love making a difference in children, young people’s, and family’s life. I am passionate about caring for the families in my care and offering them support during difficult times

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the inspirational leaders I have met along the way. For supporting me through difficult times and helping me to grow as a nurse and as a person.

What is your job role and responsibilities and how long have you been with the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust?

I’ve worked at the Trust since 1986. My background is in critical care, and I was a nurse in the Intensive Therapy Units (ITU). My role is about ensuring that the hospital is safe, patient safety is paramount, and that nurses are kept updated with crucial information. Every day is a different but at the end of it, there’s a patient or member of staff that needs to be taken care of. I do my job to the best of ability, keeping myself open, engaged, and approachable.

Why did you want to become a nurse and what do you like most about being one?

My decision to become a nurse was not a burning childhood dream but at 16, I saw an advert for nurse recruitment. I just knew that was what I wanted to do, and the journey began.

What do you like most about your job?

The people. I absolutely love the engagement. I like the NHS family – it is like having a second family. We are all in it together, that’s the drive that makes you come to work. I love the variety of my job of being a nurse and going home knowing that I have done my best for my patients.

I have been nursing over 30 years and continue to do so. I started in 1989 as a domestic first and then an auxiliary nurse (the backbone of the NHS). I completed my training in 1993 and worked in various roles as a nurse, lecturer, mentor and assessor in several settings including acute surgery, acute medicine, spinal injuries and substance misuse.

I chose to move to Public Health approximately 10 years ago to redesign and deliver new and innovative services for alcohol and substance users (a subject still close to my heart).

I started at Thurrock covering maternity leave and luckily am now full time as the Health Protection Senior Programme Manager (a new and very existing role).

I still return to the wards on occasion and love every aspect of my work and career.

I joined the NHS family in 2001, qualifying as a mental health nurse in 2006, my family has a long history in the NHS, a trend which I followed.

I have had opportunities to work in a variety of settings from mental health to acute hospitals and the CCGs, assessing and supporting patients and families in their times of need and planning of their care to empower their onward journey.

My advice to anyone thinking of nursing - Never give up! It can be tough, but as nurse’s we are always learning and supportive of each other to succeed.

So how pleased am I that I did not take the advice of my careers officer at school, quote!

‘You should not aspire to being a nurse, you are probably more academically suited to a back office typing job’

Red rag to a bull, here I am 35 years later the Interim Director of Nursing in what soon to be the Mid & South Essex Integrated Care System.

I have only 100 words to say why I chose nursing and what inspired me, so a tall order in itself, however I think I can answer the question in one word!

Would I do it again, the answer is a resounding YES. From day one I have had the privilege of looking after patients and families when they are most vulnerable and the pleasure of working with some amazing teams who support each other through the highs and lows. I love my profession my colleagues and the opportunity to learn every day.

The below postcards can be personalised so that you can add your own thank you message to a nurse or midwife. There’s a PDF or Word version, please use whichever you find easiest to use.

PDF editable nurse and midwife thank you postcard

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You can use these images with any thank you message you write on Facebook or Twitter or you can also embed them into an email. Please feel free to download and share.

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You can use these images with any thank you message you write on Instagram or you can also embed them into an email. Please feel free to download and share.

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