Wendy Allam - Non-Medical Prescriber and Clinical Matron

I’m as proud to be a Mental Health Nurse today, as I was 22 years ago, when I joined the NMC register. There has never been any question as to what I’ve wanted to do in my career, and it continues to be rewarding in so many ways.

For a number of years, I have been a Non-Medical Prescriber (NMP) in HPFT. Becoming a NMP has opened up many doors for me to progress my career and really develop my clinical skills across a broad platform. I’ve prescribed within different contexts in the community, led on developing and delivering nurse-led NMP clinics, and shared best practice at nursing conferences. In my current role as Clinical Matron I am passionate about supporting the delivery of the NMP Strategy within HPFT, influencing and inspiring others to become Non-Medical prescribers and recognising the value that these specialist roles can bring to improving the services we deliver and the care we provide.

As a mental health nurse I am constantly learning from those that I am fortunate to work with; the diverse nursing workforce with a breadth of skills and expertise, service users and carers inspiring through their strength and resilience, student nurses curious and eager to learn, and managers and leaders who influence me to become the best nurse I can be.

I was talking with a student nurse recently who was telling me how much they were enjoying their first placement and that “no one day had been the same”. I can resonate with that and honestly say that after many years in mental health nursing that remains true. Constantly varied and rewarding, and so fortunate to be doing something that I love, all the while making a positive difference to the lives of the people we care for and the reason we do what we do. #MHNursesDay