Return to practice success for Care UK nurse

Company news

Jul 21, 2016

Susann Hayes, a nurse at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre in Plymouth, recently returned to nursing after a career break to raise her family.

It’s been such a success she wholeheartedly recommends it to others in a similar situation.

Susann, 45, from Horrabridge, was born and raised in Germany where she qualified as a nurse in 1990. She came to the UK in 1999 after a variety of ward placements, further training and education and a period living in the USA.

With her husband, she moved to Devon in 2005 and worked as a staff nurse at a residential care home. When she started her family of two children she took a break from nursing to raise them and to work with her husband in their family-owned tea rooms.

Susann said: “When our children became older and more independent I came to realise that I missed nursing and started looking into returning to the profession.”

She took advantage of the opportunities provided by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) return to practice initiative, which is designed to support people who have taken a break from their nursing career to re-enter the profession.

Susann said: “The return to practice course is an excellent idea for people like me who have taken a break in our careers. The opportunity has enabled me to brush up my skills while working in a hospital placement and the lectures at Plymouth University have helped me to catch up on all the changes that have happened in nursing since I took my break.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the course and was well-supported by my colleagues at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them. I would recommend that anyone considering a return to nursing should take a look at the NMC’s return to practice website.”

Sue Farrell, head of nursing and clinical services at Care UK’s Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, said: “We’re delighted to have supported Susann with her return to the nursing profession and to have her join as a member of our team. There are thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals out there who have taken a break from their careers and who may be thinking about coming back.

“My advice to them is to take a look at return to practice courses and go for it. Their wealth of expertise and knowledge are vitally important to modern healthcare and the courses will give them all the updates they need to fit back in to the sector.”

More information about the career opportunities at Care UK can be found on its careers website.