A little bit of me
As many Langport people know, I'm a podiatrist bursting with passion to keep people pain-free and mobile. I thought I'd share a bit about my background so that you can see where this came from and how I came to be a Somerset business owner.
In the clinic, I love working with patients to create care plans that will meet each patient's needs and be effective. That way, I know there is a better chance that you will do what you need to do to help yourself and the treatment has more chance of success.
The beginning (let's not talk about how many years ago that was!) I found myself in Essex to train as a nurse and thoroughly enjoyed my training – some things never change but my goodness – a lot has!!!
From Essex, I moved back home to Birmingham, and after working with elderly folk, I was successful in obtaining a post in my love – Emergency Care. I loved the work, and even though I made it to Sister, I knew there was more to learn, so I moved to Plymouth and studied for an Orthopaedic Nursing Certificate.
My love of the South West never left me, and after a fun-filled, busy year in Plymouth, I moved to Taunton and have really stayed loyal to the area to date!
Happy years connected with Somerset NHS – Night Sister, Working in the personal department as Training and Development lead and progressing to Nurse Manager for Surgery. Apart from helping organise the hospital Christmas show (oh, the fun!) This was an exciting time in my career as the NHS underwent many changes. I was very fortunate to be invited by the Department of Health to study senior healthcare management at an international level – this being at Cornell University in New York. This expanded my horizons, and I moved to BUPA and learnt private business.
Heading for the Millenium, I decided to start my own nursing care agency supplying staff to care businesses and for people in their own homes. Happy 2000! And Managed Care took off, and the next 22 years were damn hard work, but I love it all!
It quickly became apparent that there was a much-needed requirement for foot care in the community so yet again, I explored the avenues, and after being a foot health practitioner – I went on to study Podiatry at Plymouth University. It was clear that my clinical nursing combined with podiatry has given me a love of skin!! The largest organ of the body and often the most neglected!
Having met up with new colleagues in the podiatry world, a great friend and I decided to study dermatology and so back to the USA and attended a fabulous conference. It is just amazing how much you can learn about skin and feet!! It was also a chance to explore Washington and a quick trip over to Nashville – but only 2 podiatrists can do all this walking and find out they had not got a blister plaster between them!!!
Along came Covid, and as with many things that change your world, I decided to cease the care side of my business and now only concentrate on Podiatry and my clinic in Langport.
I remain registered as a Nurse and a Podiatrist, and the two work hand in hand or should that be foot in foot?! Podiatry is not only about the feet – there can be things happening to your body that manifest in your legs and feet, and I am here to help you. My blogs are written to help you decide if I am the person you need to visit, and if that answer is yes – I look forward to meeting you.
I love reading and research and strive to keep abreast of new treatments that can help you, the patient.
All these years' experience, both clinical and managerial, NHS and independent sector, all help along a journey full of tales – but that's for the book waiting to be written when I retire!!
