A nurse with 25 years’ experience in children’s nursing has shared her passion for helping children with complex health needs ahead of the first National Children’s Nurses Day (Tuesday 30 June).
The awareness day, organised by the Association of British Paediatric Nurses, celebrates the difference and impact that children’s nurses make to the lives of children and young people.
Paediatric nurses work across a range of services at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT).
They include our perinatal mental health teams, Children’s Community Asthma Service, Children’s Community Learning Disability nursing team, child and adolescent mental health wards, children’s community nurses and Lighthouse Child Development Centre.
One of those nurses is Sarah Hawes, an Epilepsy Nurse Specialist for Children and Young People with Learning Disabilities and Autism, and is team lead for the Specialist School Nursing and Epilepsy Service.
Sarah qualified as a children’s nurse in 2001 and started her career in acute children’s wards and settings. She is also a trained Roald Dahl Neurodisability Nurse Specialist. The Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity provides a professional training and development programme for nurses like Sarah to help them deliver the highest standards of support for children with complex needs and their families
She said: “In 2020, I moved into the community as a special school nurse, and I’ve genuinely loved it.
“I work with children who have complex health needs, many with learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
“A big part of my role is building relationships with the children and their families. That’s what I enjoy most – getting to know them, understanding what matters to them, and supporting them in a way that feels meaningful and consistent.
“I am passionate about working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and making sure they are supported to reach their full potential.”
Sarah and her team support children, families and staff at four special schools in Southend and two in Benfleet.
They make sure children with additional health needs are supported safely in school. They provide advice, training, and hands-on support, working closely with staff and families.
She said: “We really try to take a holistic approach to each child and we also want to make sure school staff feel confident and well supported to meet the children’s health needs.
“As a team, we’re always looking at ways to improve how we support children, especially those with complex and long term health conditions.
“A key focus for us is strengthening the transition into adult services to make sure it’s as smooth and well-planned as possible for young people and their families.
“We’re also continuing to develop our service in line with NHS priorities around personalised care, early intervention, and joined-up working.
“We are also committed to making sure the most vulnerable children and families have access to support.”
About EPUT:
- EPUT has a vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care: Who we are – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- EPUT provides services to more than 100,000 patients at any one time and our staff are focused on providing high quality care in often complex situations.
- The organisation has invested in inpatient facilities and community services to make them safer and more therapeutic. We have extensively invested in technology to keep patients safer, enhanced training, and are continuously working with our staff, patients, their families and carers to use learning and best practice to enhance our quality of care.
- While there is more to do, the Trust has made significant progress through innovation:
- Our 111 mental health crisis phone line ensures people in need can access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- People with lived experience have been employed in designated roles across the Trust, ensuring patient voice is heart of the organisation and all that we do.
- A number of new initiatives have been launched, helping people access the support they need when they need it most. These include a mental health urgent care department, By Your Side maternal mental health service, Rough Sleeper team, mental health crisis ambulance cars, virtual wards and neuromodulation service.
- EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 and provides community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We employ more than 7,200 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- To read more about our priorities and commitments to deliver the highest quality and safest care possible, visit https://eput.nhs.uk/about-us/2023-2028-strategic-plan/