We wanted to say a huge thank you to Specialist Stoma Care Nurse as he nears retirement. He has been a huge asset to the team in Oxfordshire and will be missed enormously. We asked him to share his career highlights and background and he has kindly done this below.
Enjoy your much-deserved retirement, Simon!
“I began my nursing career in early September 1985 at the East Birmingham Hospital school of Nursing (now Birmingham Heartlands Hospital). After qualifying as a Registered General Nurse, my initial career took me on a journey of predominantly working on mixed general/colorectal surgery wards, before seeking further promotion and moving to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital as a Junior Charge Nurse in 1994. During this time, I really developed my interest in stoma care, before moving to Oxford in July 2001 as a Specialist Stoma Care Nurse (SSCN).
Working within the sphere of stoma care, has enabled me to develop a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills to help care for patients. It is always very humbling but also satisfying and rewarding when patients express their thanks and gratitude for your help and support, knowing you have helped them through their stoma journey which for many can be a very difficult period in their lives. I have advised and supported the Kangaroo Club for many years, a patient support group for those who have undergone ileo-anal pouch surgery.
Collaboration and interaction with colleagues and peers, other healthcare professionals and Stoma Industry colleagues in the development and progression of the sphere of stoma care, provides a great sense of achievement and provided many opportunities and experiences I may not have otherwise had.
Being elected to the committee of the Association of Stoma Care Nurses UK (ASCN) as Honorary Secretary in 2014-2017, being asked to become a trustee in 2023 and again joining the committee in 2026 as Honorary Treasurer have been particular highlights in helping to progress the specialism.
Another highlight of being a SSCN in Oxford, enabled me to develop a particular interest in those patients undergoing Small Bowel Transplantation, publishing an article in 2013, and presenting regionally, nationally and internationally.
I had the honour of being awarded ASCN Stoma Nurse of the Year in 2018.
During the over 41 years of my career, I have experienced multiple challenges and changes in nursing. The enduring pressures and demands on nurses and nursing care has been ever present. However, I have learnt that sometimes to move forward you need to push outside of one’s comfort zone.
Coming to the end of my career is completing the cycle of learning, from being a student and junior staff nurse learning from others, to being a senior member sharing and passing on my knowledge, skills and experience to others. “