Spending the day with an Extraordinary Queen’s Nurse

Having joined the Queen’s Nursing Institute from a non-nursing background, I was keen to get an understanding of a day in the life of a nurse working in the community. Shoenagh Mackay, Director of Care at Hamelin reached out and offered to show me a day in her life.

About Shoenagh Mackay QN

Shoenagh is a Registered Learning Disability Nurse with 30 years’ experience. In 2023, she gained her Queen’s Nurse title, a moment which she described as a huge feeling of achievement. The following year, Shoenagh embarked on the QNI’s Executive Leadership course (now called Leading Strategically). Shoenagh explained how beneficial the course was to her development. Her cohort have stayed in touch since via their group chat and continue to support each other. Shoenagh is now undertaking a Master’s in Prescribing, an area she talks passionately about.

About Hamelin

Hamelin is a charity based in Essex which supports people with learning disabilities and neurodiverse people, their families and carers. Shoenagh took me on a tour of the services that she looks after. With an extensive background in delivering health and social care services, Shoenagh is responsible for the quality and safety of the support that Hamelin provides.

Respite Home

Our day started at Gowlands, Hamelin’s respite home for guests with learning disabilities. As I arrived a few of the guests were off for a trip to the Dog’s Trust, while another guest and her carer were going to the shops. This was just a small insight into the breadth of opportunities and experiences offered to those that Hamelin cares for, which I would discover more about throughout the day.

Shoenagh and her colleague explained to me how the respite home works and the kind of guests that come and stay with them. Gowlands is an ex-farmhouse which can house nine guests, with bright, themed bedrooms, bathrooms, dining and living areas, and a sensory room. We visited Gowlands’ accessible hydrotherapy pool and Shoenagh explained the benefits and enjoyment that being in the pool brings to guests and their families. We also looked at their next project; creating a sensory wall and sensory trail within the garden. Hamelin has been working with those on the Community Payback scheme, who have been helping with the garden work, which Shoenagh said is both engaging for them as well as beneficial to Hamelin’s development projects.

Gowlands also has a plot called ‘Roots and Shoots’, where guests help grow plants and vegetables and learn about horticulture. One guest showed me the birdhouse he had made in woodworking, while another was helping prepare bamboo to be weaved into a fence for an upcoming ‘Singing Rose Garden’. Another building was used for supporting guests into employment, where they will learn things such as ‘what is a CV’ and what to wear at work. It was clear that the charity is passionate about supporting guests with life skills.

Bungalow

Our next stop was Hamelin’s bungalow, where people with learning disabilities live on a long-term basis, supported by the charity. Here I met some of the staff and residents. It was lovely to see how each person had decorated their room according to their own interests, expressing their individuality. The staff told me how they have taken the people that live there on holiday and the variety of activities they took part in. Shoenagh stressed how they are supported to take part in all the things that anyone else would.

Hamelin HQ and Day Centre

Finally, we stopped at Hamelin’s headquarters, which housed staff offices on the first floor, while the ground floor is a day centre for those with learning disabilities. The large space included a calming chill out room, accessible kitchen and dining area, education room, along with a workshop for creative activities. I loved that the walls on the buildings were covered in colourful and interesting artwork created by the people Hamelin supports, in collaboration with a local artist.

Shoenagh explained how Hamelin had welcomed the Billericay Food Bank into its building when it was looking for a new home. The food bank works in partnership with Hamelin, where people with learning disabilities sort donated food items for packing, which sounded like a valuable initiative.

Some of the day centre guests were currently in town buying ingredients to cook a meal for the staff the following day. The money they make from selling their meal to the staff will then be invested in the food shop for the following week. Shoenagh explained how it was important to teach guests life skills to enable them to live independently.

Learning Disability Nursing

Shoenagh demonstrated her sign language ability and explained the use of Makaton, a unique communication programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people with learning difficulties and their families, friends and healthcare professionals, to communicate.

It was clear to me that Shoenagh and the Hamelin team treat each person they support with personalised care, from varying levels of staff support for each person, special equipment or communication styles, to catering to their diverse personalities and interests in the activities on offer. It felt like a welcoming and truly inclusive environment.

Shoenagh is an inspirational Queen’s Nurse, balancing a full-time job, Master’s degree and home life, while always looking for the next great project that can benefit the people she supports. In Shoenagh’s words, ‘Learning Disability Nurses are like hen’s teeth’ and she wants to do more to shine a light on LD nursing. Shoenagh is looking at setting up an RNLD network that will meet, initially via Teams, to share ideas, practices, and provide some valuable peer supervision, as well as a space to ask for help and direction. Please get in touch with Shoenagh if this is something you would be interested in joining.

Thank you everyone at Hamelin for a warm welcome and sharing their day with me. It was a privilege to get a glimpse into the wonderful world of learning disability nursing.