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Jackie Donohue
Jackie Donohue has had a long and varied nursing career. After starting her training with the NHS at 18, her career took her overseas. She also spent seven years caring for the elderly in sheltered housing before returning to the NHS to work as a Recovery Sister within theatre. Today, she draws on her wide-ranging experience as a Custody Nurse Practitioner with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).
“I like challenges in my Iife. I like to be pushed. You can get too comfortable in a role, so I was ready to do something different. I also wanted to broaden my nursing experience so, when I saw the role advertised, I researched it and went to an open day at Charing Cross. I thought, yes, this is something I could really do. The autonomy of the role really appealed and I could see it would push my boundaries. I was also interested in working for the MPS. Not just because they’re a very good organisation and employer to work for. I wanted to feel that I was doing my part; making my community a better, safer place.”
Jackie started her training in October 2010 and, a little over a year into the role, it’s clear that she thoroughly enjoys what she does.
“I did have some reservations about going into a custody suite. I was concerned about having to deal with detainees but, to be honest, the team environment and support is so strong, safety has never been an issue – you have plenty of backup and plenty of support. You’re a respected member of a team and that counts for a lot.”
Based in a custody suite in Lewisham, Jackie finds that there is a great deal of variety in her role – and the fact that she never knows what she might be called upon to deal with next keeps her on her toes. But, for the most part, there is still a definite structure to her day.
“When I come in, I complete a handover with the nurse from the previous shift. There are also routine things to be checked, like equipment and drugs, and we have to keep accurate information about whoever’s in custody – in case we’re ever called upon to give evidence. Aside from that, I need to make decisions on whether detainees are fit to be interviewed or detained – or whether they might have to be transferred out. I also liaise extensively with GPs and mental health teams. We see a lot of different client groups, people with mental health, drug and alcohol issues – so the role is very varied and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and develop.”
The role of a custody nurse is varied and challenging. But when I ask Jackie about the most rewarding part of her role, she makes it clear how it’s possible to make a real difference.
“Sometimes we deal with quite vulnerable people. It’s not as if everyone is a hardened criminal or anything. Some people who come into custody have just reached crisis point. If you can build rapport with them – find out what their story is – you can find a way to help. I talk to quite a few people who’ve got addictions. But sometimes they will sit and talk to me because I’m a nurse – and it turns out that they’ll have had a bad start in life or had a difficult upbringing maybe. They don’t talk to us about their cases, because we’re not involved in them. But they will open up and then you realise why a person has gone down a certain path. I’ve had people who have sat and cried to me and said ‘I don’t want to be like this, I need help, I need to get out of this’. And you can see it’s really quite sad how that they’ve ended up where they are.
“ It makes my job worthwhile when I know I’ve helped someone get back on the right path or helped achieve a successful outcome for them. “
Kelly Rosenwould
It was the sheer variety of work that persuaded Kelly Rosenwould to pursue a career as a Custody Nurse Practitioner. After spending almost two decades working in various roles in both the NHS and private sector, she was ready for a change. Her role as a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) had given her a positive insight into the organisation, so she decided to work for them in a full-time capacity.
“My career had largely focused on general medicine and elderly care before joining the MPS. I reached a point where I felt that I was stagnating. In my previous role, I’d come in every day, do my drug round, do my meal round – everything felt very regimented. As a special constable I had a good understanding of how things worked in a custody suite, so I just decided to give it a go. In a custody suite, you never know who or what’s going to come through the door next. And this is really what I was looking for – something more varied that I could get my teeth into and expand on my skills.”
Kelly was clearly in a position to identify the benefits of working in a custody suite. But were there any downsides? Did she, for instance, have any concerns about working in a very different type of environment?
“I didn’t, actually, no. My previous work colleagues and family had some concerns about me having contact with the detainees. But, to be completely honest, I feel much safer working in a custody suite than I did at the local hospital. Before I get close to any of the detainees, they will have been searched at least twice. They’re always accompanied by at least one officer or a designated detention officer, depending on the risk assessment that’s been done by the custody sergeants. So I feel that I’m a lot safer in this environment. There’s a good team spirit too. We all respect each other professionally and, even though I’m the one making the decisions from a medical point of view, I always feel supported by the people around me.”Having spent around 15 months in the role, Kelly is also seeing the benefits of a more varied client base on her nursing skills and experience.
“I’ve learnt more about mental health issues. Prior to coming here, the only mental health issues I dealt with were depression and dementia in the elderly care. Now I’m learning more about schizophrenia and other types of personality disorders – and how to deal with them. I’m also getting more exposure to people with addictions. I had very little experience of this previously, but now I can confidently deal with people that have issues with drugs and alcohol.
This variety is also underpinned by exposure to more than one custody suite. Although she is primarily based within Barking & Dagenham, Kelly has also worked at Charing Cross, Islington, Forest Gate and Bethnal Green.
“Different boroughs have different kinds of crimes and, consequently, different client groups. For instance, in Barking and Dagenham, we’re quite close to quite major roads, so we get a lot of drink driving. In fact, I’ve been called as a witness to give evidence in court for a drink drive case. I was quite nervous prior to attending because I’d never been in the court before. But once I was on the stand, everything was fine. I had all the information in front of me in my documentation – and all the officers involved in the case were extremely supportive. It’s just another aspect of the role, really, which makes my job more interesting. Being able to do my bit for the criminal justice system is an added bonus. It’s a really, really good environment to work in.