Sarah Jevons is an Admiral Nurse at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and covers the Sandwell area.
She has a general nursing background and has covered all areas of the West Midlands. It was her dad’s dementia diagnosis however, that was the catalyst that inspired Sarah to become an Admiral Nurse.
Sarah said: “Unfortunately there was not a lot of support available for my family during my dad's journey, or at least we weren't aware of it if there was. I had researched Admiral Nurses but there were none available in my mum and dad's area unfortunately.
“I love this role so much as I can really empathise with the carers after experiencing caring for someone with dementia first hand. I love the fact that we are able to work so closely with people and provide that support to them so intensely.”
Here, Sarah has given us a peek into what her day as an Admiral Nurse looks like.
8am: I start my shift. We have a morning check-in meeting to discuss what each of us have got planned for the day and it's an opportunity to discuss anything we might be concerned about in terms of our visits or visits the previous day.
8.30am- 9am: Usually I will be reading up on previous notes in preparation for the visit I will have planned that day.
10am – I usually book my visits earlier in the morning so it allows me enough time to complete any referrals and paperwork in the afternoon as well as considering travel time as I cover Sandwell but live in Wolverhampton.
My visits consist of either an initial assessment or a follow up visit. Initial visits can last a couple of hours as there is a lot to cover. The follow up visits are not so long, depending on what you find out during your appointment. I might book up to three follow-up visits in for an average day.
2pm: I'm normally home at this point. I'll grab some lunch and catch up with any emails that might have come in during the morning. I'll then sit and do any paperwork associated with the morning visits or any phone calls that may need to be made.
4pm – Finish and check out via our team WhatsApp group which ensures we're all safe.
To find out more about the Admiral Nurse service at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, visit: https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/admiral-nurse-team