Lauren Bradley

My current role is Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner, I work within the children's neurodiversity pathway, offering post and pre diagnostic support for children with a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of ASD or ADHD, alongside ADHD medication reviews

I also support and signpost to services that could offer more support, working with other agencies to advocate this for the service user

I have taken an active role in service development with the rest of my time, particularly in the new children's pathway

Since December 2020 I had the position of Community Practitioner within secondary care services, firstly within the Sunderland CYPS team before moving to the Perinatal team in February 2023 During this time I have worked collaboratively with young people and women and their families/carers who are presenting with complex needs and at times, significant risks Working within a community setting, I have learned excellent time management skills and how to manage my own diary and appointments Not only do I work autonomously, but also with the wider Multi disciplinary team, and also outside organisations including schools and social services Working within these services has enabled me to build a good knowledge base around organisations and support that is available within the community, for adults and children and young people, dependant on their needs

During my time as a care co-ordinator to the young people and women and babies who are in my care, I carried out assessments and continual risk management to plan the appropriate interventions and/or treatments needed whether this be only with myself, or referrals to other pathways or services I participate in duty work on a rota'd basis, this has enabled me to enhance my communication and de- escalation skills when dealing with a young person or woman or their family/carers in a crisis

During my time within CYPS I offered and completed ASD and ADHD assessments, concluding full clinical and psychosocial assessments utilising the DSM-5 criteria and appropriate rating scales, questionnaires and tools, also looking at differential diagnoses and needs if assessment criteria was not met

Working as a community practitioner means sometimes having to think outside of the box in regards to building the therapeutic relationship, developing and implementing care plans and providing treatment , it also means having a flexible and adaptable approach towards the adult or young person and their family/carers, and helping to engage vulnerable families get the support they need

I am actively involved in record keeping, such as care planning, risk assessments and report writing I also understand the importance of consent and confidentiality and a nurse's legal duty to keep records accurate I understand the importance and work autonomously to keep my records up to date Within mental health nursing situations can change very quickly and it is important records are updated to reflect this To help aid me with this I participate in monthly supervisions for paperwork, alongside clinical supervision and management supervision to aid my progress

I consider myself to be a hardworking, dedicated,

confident and punctual person, I have excellent communication and interpersonal skills I am caring, kind and empathetic in nature and really enjoy helping people and making a difference to their lives in any way I can I am a very good listener and pride myself on being non-judgemental and patient I can work autonomously with minimal supervision but also understand the importance of utilising support from colleagues when needed

I feel I can rise up to the challenges of the job and although demanding, will be extremely rewarding, I feel my skills that I have learnt through my past jobs and now brought into my nursing career will aid me into the next chapter of my career, alongside learning and developing new skills, I feel I am ready to progress in my career