Natalie Willetts
“There is such a diverse range of opportunities in mental health nursing - it offers a really exciting career. There are now many more ways to enter your nurse training, so anyone who wants to can become a mental health nurse.”
Read about Natalie’s experience as a mental health nurse to discover what it’s really like to work for us.
Name: Natalie Willetts
Title: Chief Nursing Officer
Organisation: Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust.
Natalie’s nursing journey began at 18, where she studied nursing and discovered a passion for Mental Health Nursing along the way. She is now a Chief Nursing Officer at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust.
Natalie Willetts
Chief Nursing Officer, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust
What made you want to become a Mental Health Nurse?
To be honest I didn’t know I did! I went to university to study Nursing and assumed I would choose general adult nursing. I was lucky as my course enabled you to do each branch of nursing for the first two years and then chose which to specialise in.
I went on my first mental health with very little idea of what to expect and loved it from day one. I had the most incredible learning experience from amazing nurse mentors who were helping extremely poorly people. I found it was the branch of nursing that enabled me to be with, talk with and support people in their recovery.
Have you overcome any challenges along the way?
The NHS is constantly changing but equally changes at a very slow pace so having to be adaptable and persistent in equal measures is important. I think the biggest challenges have come in the last three years. The COVID-19 pandemic was frightening and tested all of my leadership skills. Working with the unknown and such high risk to staff and patients was difficult. Trying to remain calm, composed and issue as clear guidance as possible whilst acknowledging the fear everyone felt was important. Now we are experiencing the challenges of coming out of the pandemic with huge service demands and a workforce deficit.
What advice would you give to others considering a career in Mental Health Nursing?
If you like people then go for it! There is such a diverse range of opportunities in mental health nursing - it offers a really exciting career. There are now many more ways to enter your nurse training, so anyone who wants to can become a mental health nurse. You can work with people in the community, in voluntary sectors all the way through to secure or prison care and there are a wide range of clinical roles, leadership and management roles at various levels. If you have no experience of mental health care, I would suggest volunteering or joining an NHS ‘bank’. Most universities have open days so go along and find about all the new routes into nursing and find the one that suits you.
Where and when did you start your nursing journey?
When I was 18 – I went to the University of Birmingham to study for my degree in Nursing.
How would you explain your role to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?
My job takes overall responsibility for the Nursing Workforce in my NHS trust as well as lead on quality. I spend a lot of my time in meetings for example making a workforce plan or working on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) new quality standards. I get to visit lots of different clinical teams so I keep in touch with nurses directly delivering care.
What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about being a Mental Health Nurse at every level is you genuinely get to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s incredibly rewarding.
Next steps / Where do you want to go next in your career?
Who knows! This was my dream job so I am planning to stay here for a good while yet!