Hello, my name is Helga Charters and I am an Associate Director of Nursing at the Newcastle Hospitals, specifically for children and young people (CYP).
My role is to lead on all aspects of care, treatment and support for CYP whilst in the care of our organisation both out in the community and in our hospitals.
This includes providing expert professional advice on issues relating to CYP, clinical governance, quality and risk and ensuring that our workforce is well placed to provide appropriate safe and sustainable care.
My mum was a nurse. She was a Sister at the Sanderson Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and inspired me to follow in her footsteps and be a nurse too.
Full breadth of nursing care
My nursing career began as an adult student nurse at Leeds General Infirmary in 1985. I always knew I wanted to be a children’s nurse but I also knew that it was important to experience the full breadth of nursing care for all ages – to understand how we develop from birth right through to old age and to help me develop my own skills to be able to communicate with all patients of all ages and abilities.
Once I qualified I worked as a staff nurse at Leeds General Infirmary experiencing adult general surgery, orthopaedics (for females only in those days) and medicine. Working in these specialties enabled me to really consolidate my nursing knowledge, competency and skills.
Then I moved across the city to St James University Hospital where I began training as a Sick Children’s Nurse – paediatric nursing was definitely where my future career lay.
After a six month period living in Canada my first Sister post was at Harrogate Hospital then following a move back to St James in Leeds I returned home to the North East in 1998 where I joined the Newcastle Hospitals and decided to try something completely different as a Patient Services Coordinator.
I learnt incredibly important aspects of what it takes to run a hospital safely and successfully during that time including gaining experience on secondment working in the Clinical Risk Department.
Becoming Matron
Then in 2002 a Matron’s post became available in Children’s Services and I was so pleased to take on that role not least because I was lucky enough to be in that post before, during and after the commissioning of the city centre’s brand new Great North Children’s Hospital.
In 2004 and 2006 I had my two lovely children and managed to continue with my role despite finding myself to be a single parent with a four and three year old.
I was Matron for 17 years before becoming Associate Director of Nursing (CYP) covering children’s services at both the RVI’s Great North Children’s Hospital and the children’s heart unit at the Freeman Hospital. More exciting developments lay ahead as we plan to consolidate those services on one site.
I am also incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity of a secondment with NHS England / Improvement’s Children’s Transformation Team as Clinical Programme Lead for Health Inequalities for CYP across the North East and Yorkshire Region.
I am and will always be passionate about the rights of CYP, to ensure that they have a voice which is listened to and respected. I feel incredibly privileged to be in a position to be able to inspire and influence on their behalf.
Responsibilities
As Associate Director of Nursing I am responsible for:
- Leading the CYP agenda including mental health across the organisation
- Providing professional nursing leadership across the organisation
- Line management of the Learning Disability Liaison Team (adults and CYP) as well as the LeDeR process within organisation
- The temporary oversight of the Trust’s Safeguarding Team
- Providing support and leadership for the Hospital@Night Team
- Oversight of Medical Gases management including patient safety, policy guidance, protocol development and governance
- Participating in the Senior Manager on Call rota
