Staff profile: Jacqui Atwell, Nurse

Meet Jacqui, nurse and deputy home manager at Millview, a Bupa care home in Glasgow.

Jacqui was a community nurse before moving to care homes, where she has specialised in dementia care for the past 20 years.

A new lease of life

Jacqui’s expertise saw her rise from unit manager to deputy home manager in just two years. But she is still a nurse first – and she’s passionate about care.

“We as nurses and carers are trying to promote a quality of life for you,” she says.

“Life in the care home has changed dramatically over the years. Now people come to live in a care home. And I emphasise the word ‘live’ because it’s not the end of life.”

It’s your choice

Jacqui explains that ‘quality of life’ means that care teams treat you as an individual and always follow your lead.

You make the choices throughout the day. As Jacqui’s team starts the day they might ask: “Do you want to stay in bed or do you want to get up now?”

Breakfast in bed, in your room or in the dining room – it’s up to you.

Jacqui’s team aims to follow “the routine that you had at home – what kind of soap you like, what shampoo you use, that sort of thing.”

Beyond healthcare

As the registered nurse in charge, Jacqui oversees the giving out of medication.

She gets medical care to anyone who needs it, and stays in touch with social workers, GPs and other professionals sharing the care.

Jacqui also sees that her team looks beyond healthcare to make the day enjoyable.

They help each resident do what they fancy, offering options from the activity programme too.

“Sometimes it’s movies, sometimes it’s clubs,” says Jacqui. Knitting and baking are popular at Millview but sometimes it’s a personal trip to the shops.

You and your family: part of the team

The most important thing to Jacqui is the people she works with – and that means residents and their families, as well as her colleagues.

“I’m very passionate about families,” says Jacqui. “It’s really important to get families on board, to have a ‘partnership of care’.”

“We’re trying to make it a community as well as a care home. We ask families to all the events, and to spend time just being here to see what we do.”

“It’s a lovely homely atmosphere,” she says. “This is really where a partnership of care comes into it.”

“We’re all involved.”

Truly personal care

A warm welcome for each new resident is all in a day’s work for Jacqui.

One relative felt she did such a good job making her mother feel at home that she nominated Jacqui for a national award.

Jacqui devoted hours to helping Nan Christie settle in at Millview. This included visiting Nan, who has Alzheimer’s, at her home before the move.

“We give new residents a lot of time,” says Jacqui, “a lot of time and a lot of support.”

Setting high standards

Nan’s daughter, Ann-Marie Hyndman, nominated Jacqui because “she made a difference, because she listened”.

“She won my mum over by working one-to-one with her and giving the personal care and attention that she required,” said Ann-Marie. “Jacqui’s understanding of Alzheimer’s means she’s never given up on mum.”

Jacqui was named Care Home Carer of the Year in the 2010 National Carer Awards, based on Ann-Marie’s nomination.

“I was really surprised to get the award – and a bit embarrassed! It’s part of my job to make residents feel at home and I don’t expect recognition,” says Jacqui modestly.

Reassurance and support

“Bupa has put me through a lot of training over the last couple of years,” says Jacqui, “And it is all focusing on considering the person.”

Jacqui was particularly inspired by Bupa’s ‘Person First, Dementia Second’ course and Dementia Champions training (both run with the Alzheimer’s Society).

But she was also urged on to challenge herself, and mentor her team to do better, after her own experiences during her late husband’s illness.

Jacqui felt overlooked as a relative during her husband’s long stays in hospital.

“I vowed that would never happen to anybody that came into our home,” she says. “Anybody that comes in is given immediate attention, immediate reassurance and support.”

Footage of Jacqui’s award-winning care

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