Please briefly describe your clinical/medical experience to date?
I qualified from the University of the West of England, Bristol with a BSc Hons in Physiotherapy in 2001 and my first job was in Salisbury District Hospital where I completed 4-monthly rotations through Orthopaedics, Musculoskeletal Outpatients, Respiratory, Care of the Elderly and Burns and Plastics. I then gained a senior physiotherapy role (still at Salisbury) where I worked as part of the multidisciplinary team covering the Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit and the acute medical and surgical wards.
In 2005 I became a Specialist Children’s Physiotherapist at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Initially my clinical role was to provide inpatient physiotherapy to the Children’s ward – this was predominantly respiratory and orthopaedic care but also involved supporting young children with complex needs who were long-term residents on the ward – as well outpatient clinics (covering musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and rheumatological conditions) and hydrotherapy. Over the course of the 14 years I spent as part of the paediatric therapy team I also worked as the lead physiotherapist at Lymington House School (a specialist school for children with complex learning and physical difficulties in Basingstoke), as a Community Physiotherapist (working with both preschool and school aged children) and then, from 2013 onwards my caseload was predominantly preterm infants and preschool aged children. A large part of my role at this time was the developmental assessment and screening of infants and young children and the provision of early intervention to maximise opportunities for therapeutic support and functional outcomes for the child.
In 2019 I had a complete change of speciality and was lucky enough to join the Burns and Plastics Therapy team back at Salisbury District Hospital. Here I had a mixed caseload of adults and children in both an inpatient and outpatient setting and worked as part of the wider multidisciplinery team supporting patients and their families following either burn injuries or significant plastic surgery reconstruction. However, when a role became available back in the field of neonates, I took the opportunity to return to an area I am passionate about and am now a Neonatal/neurodevelopmental physiotherapist at Southampton Children’s Hospital
What motivated you to enter paediatric care in the first place?
Having completed my A-levels I took a GAP year and spent 7 months in New Zealand based at a special school in South Auckland. The school was the only one in the country that supported children who had a visual impairment, providing specialist provision at the school for those children with more complex needs, as well as out-reach to the local mainstream schools and residential care for those children whose families were not local. The school supported children from 2-18 years old and I had roles supporting both in the classroom and in the boarding house. As the school knew that I was returning to the UK to start my Physiotherapy degree they enabled my to spend a large proportion of my time working alongside their physiotherapist with children with complex cerebral palsy which is where my love for working with children began.
How will the funding from The Evie Dove Foundation help you to advance your career and your impact/services to children?
By completing his course, I will be able to more-accurately assess at-risk infants and predict the likelihood of them having cerebral palsy. This will then enable the early implementation of therapy (both physiotherapy and occupational therapy) and onwards referral to appropriate services which will, in turn, maximise the developmental outcomes for the child.
The field of neonatal physiotherapy is one that I am passionate about and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to return to this area. As the new service lead within the team I am excited about supporting my team to deliver a high standard of evidenced-based care to those babies born at risk of developmental difficulties. Through early detection of subtle difficulties, my hope is that these babies will have access to earlier therapy that will support their development, empower their parents and ultimately maximise their development. This will enable them to function at the highest possible level they can.
How did you find out about The Evie Dove Foundation?
A colleague at Southampton Children’s Hospital recommended the Foundation.
Tell us about yourself!
I live in a little village in Hampshire with my husband, 2 children, 2 dogs and 2 chickens (and I hadn’t realised until now that we have 2 of everything!). Family is very important to me and I am fortunate that my Mum, brother and sister all live nearby. I love spending time outdoors taking the dogs (and children!) for long walks and am particularly happy beside the sea. I also enjoy cooking and baking and, when I get a quiet moment I like nothing more than to curl up with a good book.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your experience, future aspirations and motivations?
I am committed to providing the best possible service to a highly vulnerable group of babies and am looking forward to having the opportunity to be a part of this evolving field.
