The Wider Workforce Team

Alana Singh - Practice Development Lead for Wider Workforce

I started my NHS journey in Maternity, training to a be a Midwife and later qualified as a NMC registered Adult Nurse at The University of Derby. Since qualifying I have achieved a Florence Nightingale Award, been Nominated for Ruth May's Rising star award in 2022 and also been nominated 3 times for an empowering Team NUH award as a reflection upon my skills regarding my leadership and management capabilities.

Before my current role, I worked as a staff nurse on Fletcher ward then became a District nurse. During the pandemic, I created a new service for a local hospice which involved getting ICS funding to commence a palliative outreach service to support discharges into the community. In addition, I have also worked as a lead clinical educator in a community organisation and was a permanent member of the National Shared Decision Making Council with Ruth May and Sam Sherrington, to shape national community nursing practices. As the Practice Development Lead for the Wider Workforce team, I currently manage and lead the team in supporting HCA Apprenticeships, HCA recruitment and induction and tNA recruitment, support and education within the UK Nursing Pipeline.  Alongside the management of apprentices, myself and my team actively provide governance and leadership of the Clinical Support Trainer role and also run conferences for staffing groups to ensure that they provided with an area for reward, recognition and development. As part of this, we collaboratively link with AHP’s within the organisation to align educational opportunities for staffing groups and local communities.  

Jennifer Pooley - Practice Educator for Wider Workforce 

I joined the private healthcare sector working as a support worker with young adults with physical disabilities and associated learning disabilities. I absolutely loved the job and found it very rewarding. It was the people I worked with that suggested I should become a nurse.

I completed a BSc in Adult Nursing with the University of Nottingham in 2010 and started my nursing career with Sherwood Forest Hospitals working in colorectal surgery for 5 years. With a passion for supporting student nurses in practice, I completed my Supporting Practice Learning module with the University of Nottingham.

I moved to NUH in 2015, working in the Emergency Department before moving to the surgical High Dependency Unit. Following the critical care rotation programme, I moved to adult critical care at City Hospital. With a passion for supporting learners and new starters, I was part of the Practice Learning Team.

In 2020 made a move into ICE in the WWF team, looking after HCA recruitment, induction and retention. I am the Care Certificate lead for the Trust. In 2022 I completed my Practice Teacher Module with the University of Derby.

I am passionate that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, and this job allows me to give others, what was given to me…direction, support, opportunities and self-belief. I am here to find, create and give access to new opportunities for our non-registered workforce.

Laura Appleton - Practice Educator for Wider Workforce

After finishing University in 2013 I had no idea what I wanted to do! I knew that I wanted to work in healthcare though so I started working at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) as a Food Service Assistant on B49. After about a year I moved to the Emergency Department as an Emergency Department Assistant and then as a Clinical Support Worker. When I found out the nursing bursary was going to be cut I decided I should get my nurse training done! I completed my GEN qualification in 2019 and went to work in the surgical Step Down Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital. After a year-long re-deployment to ICU I came back to NUH as a Research Nurse with the Obstetrics and Gynaecology team. I recently started in the Wider Workforce team as a Practice Educator on a 12 month secondment. I really enjoy being involved in education and development and hope I will be able to make a positive difference for our HCAs coming into the Trust.