Publish date: 26 August 2020
Northumbria nurse accepted for unique training opportunity
A nurse at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been offered a place on a prestigious national education programme funded by Health Education England.
Charlyn Lawton, who works as a sister on the stroke unit at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Hospital, has been accepted onto the Windrush Nurses and Midwives Leadership Programme to train with the Florence Nightingale Foundation.
The programme is open to nurses and midwives working for the NHS in England who are either descendants from the Windrush generation or from a BAME background.
Charlyn, originally from the Philippines, is one of 44 nurses and midwives across the country to be offered a place and hopes the course will help her gain confidence in leadership skills, improve her self-awareness and develop her career prospects too.
Charlyn, said: “I’m so excited to be starting this career-changing opportunity. When my manager first told me I should apply I began to doubt myself, but I pushed through it and I’m so glad I did.
“Moving to a different country can sometimes make you feel like an outsider, but the trust has a fantastic BAME network where I have been able to meet others and make connections with people who are in similar position to me – and that’s where I found out about this opportunity.”
Married mother of two Charlyn, worked in as a senior staff nurse in A&E in Jeddah KSA, Saudi Arabia, before moving to the UK in 2004 to work in the Continuing Care unit at Helen McArdale care in Princess Court, North Shields. Charlyn, who now lives in Whitley Bay, started working as a staff nurse for trust from March 2006 in the Stroke unit at North Tyneside General Hospital. When the Northumbria Hospital opened in 2015, Charlyn was promoted to sister in the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at the new hospital.
Having already completed the trust’s six month management and leadership scheme Charlyn was encouraged to apply for the Windrush programme by her manager.
Elaine Henderson, director of nursing delivery at Northumbria Healthcare, said: “Charlyn is a fantastic nurse who always shows patients care, dignity and respect. I didn’t think twice about suggesting she apply for the course. The application process itself is very competitive and I’m really proud of her for rising to the challenge.
“Charlyn shows massive leadership potential. I have no doubt this programme will enable her to develop her confidence and abilities which will, in turn, benefit the trust and its patients enormously. I wish her all the best in her training.”