Meet the New Learning & Development Group Chair
Date: 30 August 2024
The Research & Development Forum is delighted to welcome and introduce Sarra Blackman as the new chair of the Learning and Development Group. Sarra is Lead Research Nurse at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Sarra has worked in the NHS for nineteen years in a culturally diverse area, and as such equity of care provision has always been incredibly important to her. Having worked alongside some truly inspirational nurses as an administrator and medical secretary, Sarra felt encouraged and impassioned and went on to complete her nurse training between 2008 and 2011. With a background in psychology, it seemed a natural progression to move into mental health nursing.
During training, Sarra was given the opportunity to undertake a diverse range of placement experiences, and as a result, it would be a difficult decision to determine the path that she followed upon qualifying. However, during a routine day at work in an acute hospital, an interaction with a patient on one of the wards would alter her future goals. The patient presented as confused and distressed, with symptoms that would suggest a diagnosis of dementia. Having the ability to spend some time with them providing support, reassurance and comfort sparked a passion for this patient population. She developed a strong desire to be an advocate, and Sarra would aim to become a voice for the compassionate care that this population needs.
Following this path, Sarra has worked in a variety of clinical settings supporting patients and carers living with dementia, from care homes, acute hospital wards to the community mental health team and memory clinic. With frustrations around the way that services are commissioned and a desire to have a greater say in the way that care is delivered, Sarra took the opportunity to move into the field of research nursing. Working here, it became even more evident that the voice of our culturally diverse population is not heard with the focus that is required. This means that the evidence base is not as fortified as it should be for the care that we are providing as a nation, something that Sarra is keen to see change.
Sarra has also had the privilege of mentoring and teaching student nurses and junior staff throughout the course of her career. This is something that Sarra finds incredibly rewarding and on moving into the research world, recognised the importance of advocating for the right training and experiences to ensure that the workforce has research skills. As such, she wanted to ensure that research placements are offered to all healthcare professionals within the Trust that she is working. She works very closely with the Learning and Development Department of the Trust; however, recognises the importance of collaborative working internally and externally to the Trust.
Forging strong links in a wider network is incredibly important to Sarra. Not only to share the excellent work completed in her Trust but also to learn from others and ensure that the work that is undertaken and completed is as streamlined, efficient, and effective as it can possibly be. As a Lead Research Nurse, Sarra has clinical and operational responsibility for the research team and for colleagues across the Trust. She role models a high standard of practice to others whilst aiming to inspire and support them to develop their skills, to grow in confidence, and build their own presence in the research landscape.
This approach has enabled Sarra to lead on some very positive changes in streamlining work processes particularly in relation to the training needs of the workforce. Whilst this work is ongoing, some very important steps have been made towards connecting like minded individuals across the Trust. Given how well this work aligns with the current review of the Learning and Development provision through the Research and Development Forum, becoming Chair of the Learning and Development Group is an opportunity that Sarra is extremely excited about. She will passionately undertake the role, to ensure that the future of our training fulfils the needs of the developing research landscape.