After celebrating her win at our recent NHC Awards 2023, we caught up with Sophie Thomas.
My role at Northern Healthcare is Mental Health Lead. I started at Northern Healthcare as an Assessment Practitioner, applied for my current role, and was promoted in April 2023. I have been a mental health nurse for ten years and have always worked in a ward setting so I was looking for a new opportunity in a different setting.
I was on maternity leave and almost ready to return to work but knew I wanted a new challenge, so I was looking at applying for roles and came across Northern Healthcare and liked the sound of the role. On researching the company, I found a lot of good reviews from people saying it was a great company to work for. I also related to the NHC PROUD values!
The variety; no day is the same. I also enjoy being able to visit different sites, which allows me to meet lots of residents and team members.
My day-to-day can become quite busy, I sometimes feel like there is never enough time to complete my to-do list, but I feel supported and valued, which helps.
Everyone that I work with is very supportive, my Line Manager is always there to listen when I need advice as are my other colleagues. Everyone is so approachable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for support when I need it.
To me, it’s the company’s PROUD values. I get to witness staff and residents alike, applying our values to everything they do. I feel as though, as an organisation, we champion those who follow our values.
During my time as an Assessment Practitioner, seeing the residents that I assessed when they were still in the hospital, to seeing them months on, thriving in our services is priceless. A specific memory of mine is when a resident that I assessed for Milnshaw House was guarded and quiet during the assessment process – months later, once he had settled in, I visited the service and saw how much he’d come out of his shell. Seeing him laughing, talking, and smiling with staff was heartwarming.
NHC is a great place to work, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a new challenge. We have such a supportive team and each service works to ensure the best support possible for their residents which is amazing to see and be a part of.
Yes, I had a great day at the awards! The effort that went into the day was fantastic and made me feel valued as a member of staff. It was great to celebrate all the achievements of the staff who were nominated/won awards.
Myself and team members from other services went for a couple of drinks after the awards ceremony. It was great to mingle with colleagues that I wouldn’t normally.
We’re always looking for great talent to join our team here at Northern Healthcare.
Find out more about working for Northern Healthcare, and view our current vacancies here.
