Please briefly describe your clinical/medical experience to date?
I am an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) working in a busy Emergency Department, with dual registration in Adult and Mental Health Nursing. I have extensive experience assessing, diagnosing, and managing a wide range of acute presentations across all age groups, including paediatric and mental health patients. My role includes autonomous clinical decision-making, requesting and interpreting investigations such as blood tests and imaging, prescribing treatments, and safely discharging or referring patients.
Prior to this, I worked as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in primary care, managing acute presentations.
I have a passion for paediatric emergency medicine and mental health, supported by ongoing postgraduate study and involvement in quality improvement projects, education, and clinical research.
I also contribute to mentoring and training staff, particularly in triage and patient streaming within the Emergency Department.
What motivated you to enter paediatric care in the first place?
Looking after paediatrics allows you to play, and forget you are actually working.
Children are fun, resilient and wonderfully honest—you can often find yourself playing with dinosaurs one minute and assessing a poorly child the next.
Building trust through play, patience and understanding is something I really value, and I love adapting my approach to each child’s age and personality.
I also believe that a positive experience in the Emergency Department can shape how a child feels about healthcare for the rest of their life. Taking the time to listen, reduce fear and involve families can turn what is often a frightening experience into one where a child feels safe, heard and cared for. Being able to make that difference, while delivering high-quality clinical care, is what motivates me every day.
How will the funding from The Evie Dove Foundation help you to advance your career and your impact/services to children?
Funding from The Evie Dove Foundation would allow me to complete the final year of my Master’s in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, giving me the knowledge and skills to provide even better care for children attending the Emergency Department.
The qualification will strengthen my clinical decision-making and enable me to lead improvements in paediatric emergency care, education and research. I am already involved in quality improvement projects, staff education and developing paediatric resources within our department, and I hope to play a key role in shaping our new paediatric emergency service as our hospital develops. We are opening a paediatric unit in the new three years, which is super exciting.
Ultimately, the greatest beneficiaries will be children and their families. My aim is to ensure every child receives evidence-based, compassionate care and has a positive experience in the Emergency Department. I hope to share what I learn through teaching, publications and service improvement projects so the impact extends beyond my own clinical practice and benefits colleagues and patients across the wider NHS.
How did you find out about The Evie Dove Foundation?
I found out about The Evie Dove Foundation through a fellow student on my Paediatric Emergency Medicine course. My employer has generously funded the first two years of my Master’s and is contributing towards my final year. When I realised there was still a funding shortfall that could prevent me from completing the course, my colleague recommended The Evie Dove Foundation as a source of support.
Tell us about yourself!
Outside of work, life is all about family, friends and our much-loved toy Cockapoo, Pablo, who everyone assumes is a spaniel! I love heading out for long beach walks with my husband or friends and Pablo, followed by hunting down a great coffee shop or discovering somewhere new. If there’s sunshine involved, even better! We also love exploring new places and escaping for the occasional weekend away to recharge.
I have two wonderful daughters who continually make me proud. My eldest is about to begin her Mental Health Nursing degree at the University of Plymouth, and I feel incredibly lucky to watch the next generation of nurses begin their journey. My youngest, Lily, is 15 and about to start her GCSEs, already dreaming of becoming a children’s physiotherapist. Watching them both find careers centred around caring for others is incredibly special, and I hope to cheer them on every step of the way.
For many years our weekends were spent travelling the country for dance competitions, including Winter Gardens in Blackpool. It gave us countless happy memories and taught us resilience, commitment and that life’s best moments are often found on the journey, not just at the destination.
Anything else you would like to tell us about your experience, future aspirations and motivations?
Throughout my career, I have always tried to say “yes” to opportunities that will help me become a better clinician and improve care for children and families. Whether that has been undertaking further study, leading quality improvement projects, publishing educational articles, carrying out research or teaching colleagues, my motivation has always been the same—to make a meaningful difference.
Completing my Master’s in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Queen Mary’s in London, with the iconic Don’t forget the bubbles team is the next step in that journey. It will enable me to provide the highest standard of evidence-based care, support and educate colleagues, and play an active role in developing paediatric emergency services within my Trust.
I am passionate about ensuring children receive not only excellent clinical care, but also a positive experience during what can be a frightening visit to the Emergency Department.
I see this funding as far more than financial support. It is an investment in someone who is committed to lifelong learning, passionate about improving services for children, and determined to share that knowledge through teaching, research and quality improvement so that its impact extends well beyond my own clinical practice.
