We are profiling amazing practice and community nurses, and midwives, during the Covid-19 pandemic as part of our Nursing Stars campaign, partnering with cross-sector movement New NHS Alliance. Here we speak to Cazz Broxton.
What is your normal role?
I’m an advanced nurse practitioner and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) transition lead. My role as CAMHS transitions lead is to support young adults their families and colleagues in considering clinical needs beyond their involvement in children and young people’s services (CYP).
I have a case load of young people requiring mental health assessment and treatment, who may have been referred for initial intervention later in their adolescence, or have been in services for a long time, therefore needing support and transition to adult services. I am sometimes able to assist in providing self-care monitoring and safety planning skills to prevent the need for onward referral. Other times, I help with ensuring an accurate, and appropriate referral on, helping the family and young person to understand the access to services, the changes in consent and engagement in treatment, advocate for and respond to any fears or concerns they have.
I offer training to staff around supporting young adults, both with CAMHS and adult service staff as well as delivering training in assessment and management of suicidality and self-harm mitigation.
My position as ANP and senior clinician has additional functions of clinical supervision and consultation to staff, liaison with families and partner agencies, screening of new referrals, facilitating queries, PALS concerns and investigating complaints, access to records.
How have you been working during the Covid-19 outbreak?
I continue with my usual casework either virtually via Teams, Whatsapp or phone calls and more recently face-to-face appointments with masks and socially distanced in clinic settings. I also carry on with offering support, consultation, clinical and safeguarding supervision via Teams.
We have trialled delivery of clinical training of CYP STORM, self-injury mitigation and suicidality assessment and safety planning via Teams, as well as CPD CPA training in-house with great feedback. This has been very challenging in terms of sensitive management of emotive subjects and ensuring emotional safety of staff.
Why would you say you are a Covid-19 Nursing Star?
I have carried on, working hard to be flexible and responsive, advocating the best service provision and working conditions for all as possible, and championing for young adults to get access to the right supports and for staff care and wellbeing. I have been imaginative in contacts with peers and maintaining value of nurse practice and development.
What have you learned from the experience of working during Covid-19?
I have valued opportunity to adapt, update and challenge previous practice and modalities which can be more flexible than seen before. I have researched and experimented, developing practice approaches to adhere to guidance and acknowledge difference in options. I miss the reflection time of driving across the county to meetings as my processing time, I will develop new ways of self-care and reflection in practice.
How do you think Covid-19 will impact the way you work in the future?
More effective professional interface with less travel and time spent in meetings. More willingness to meet young people in formats which suit their comfort, preference and accessibility for families. I will be more appreciative of face-to-face and in the room contact, communication and feel for being with people.
