In November, our Ayrshire Branch was pleased to welcome Lucy Stewart as their first student learning disability nursing placement. During her placement, Lucy got an important insight into how we provide the best care possible for the people we support.

This is Lucy’s second year studying nursing and after a whole year of online learning without placements, Lucy was eager to get real life experience working with the people we support. “We started going into Uni again in September, it was good to actually get in and get more knowledge going into placement. You get tired looking at a screen all day.”

Lucy has since completed her six-week placement, but felt she had been taught so much in that time.

“I have learned a lot. I’ve been taught a lot about the different ways people communicate and get supported, the general day to day life and how it’s different from working on wards.”

Lucy’s first placement was on a ward which offers a very different nursing environment. In hospitals patients are away from their loved ones and the comfort of their own home. Cornerstone operates on a person-centred care approach, delivering care in their own homes.

“Getting to know [the people we support] has been really good and some of them have warmed up to me very quickly.”

 It’s a very valuable experience for nurses-in-training to assist in care provision outside of a hospital as not only do they get to witness nursing life in a whole new environment, but they get to see the incredible work carers and support staff do.

 “It’s given me a really good taste of working with learning disabilities and seeing how complex it can be.”

Since starting at Cornerstone, Lucy was able to take part in a wide range of different services in Ayrshire, all dedicated to helping the people we support. It was a fantastic experience which will help her not only in her studies but throughout the rest of her life.

If you would like to read more stories like Lucy's you can go here.