Meet Hannah Hinkley. She came back early from her maternity leave to help fight on the front line of COVID-19. She looks after patients in the community and also makes time for her 200 sheep. Here is her story and why she thinks International Women’s Day is important
My name is Hannah Hinkley and I am the District Nurse team lead, Keswick & Solway ICC.
I have been qualified 10 years this year, I trained over in Newcastle and spent the first year working in Newcastle. I moved back to Cumbria and worked in Carlisle for 9 months. I then decided to move into Community Nursing. I worked in Workington Community Nurses and fell in love with the role. I live in Bothel with my Husband and daughter Millie. We also have 2 dogs and 200 sheep that we have in Bassenthwaite. We spend most of our weekends on the farm.
I am passionate about Community Nursing and its development. I completed my Community Specialist Practitioner qualification four years ago, with this it gave me the opportunity to become a team leader within Keswick & Solway ICC. I enjoy Community Nursing as it is a vital aspect of nursing and we care for patients in their own home and in residential homes. We work alongside GPs, community rehabilitation teams, adult social care and carers and families to ensure patients are safe at home. We ensure that patients attend hospital for an acute clinical need.
Who has been a female inspiration in your life and why? My female inspiration throughout my life is my gran and auntie- They have been a quiet inspiration, they have made the sacrifice to their own careers and passions so that their children and grandchildren have been able to succeed and thrive. I have also had my line manager Alison Kitson- She has been an inspiration throughout this pandemic and a leader that I look up to. She has supported me and coached me to develop myself as a manager. She has supported me to applying for my senior leadership masters apprenticeship. Alison has supported and guided all staff throughout the pandemic and has also had days of putting her uniform back on and seeing patients.
I am also inspired by my colleagues throughout this pandemic, everyone has pulled together and supported each other. We have worked across each ICC to help other areas and it has been extremely inspiring to see the continued fantastic work within the community with patients and each other.
What are you most proud of? One of my proudest moments is my little girl Millie she is almost 2 and I came back from maternity leave early last year and she was extremely resilient going into a nursery. I am proud of continuing my career and being a Mum.
If you could give your younger self advice what would it be? Don’t be afraid. Think about mistakes that have been made and learn from them and become stronger.
Why is International Women’s Day important to you? It is important to me to make sure each generation knows what has been done in the past for women to be able to work and live the way we do. What women have done in the past has enabled me to be able to raise my little girl and have a career at the same time.
If you are interested in joining the Trust you can find out more about career opportunities on our website. Some of the roles similar to Hannah’s currently out to advert include: