The Nurses’ Window

Meet Rohit Sagoo QN (part 4): British Sikh Nurses ☬ If you had the chance to make a change in the healthcare system to improve experiences for nurses, what positive change would you make? It is time for us to rethink field-specific training. Returning to generic training can broaden nurses' experience and prepare students for clinical situations. We need to think about nursing as a global profession and the movement of nurses globally. With the rise of international nurses moving across the globe, we need to adapt and change to a generic nursing degree so that nurses can join that global workforce and have the same movement. I would like to see this change in nursing education in the UK. It would benefit our nursing workforce as most countries have a generic nursing training programme, and the UK may need to catch up. If given the opportunity to make a change to the healthcare system to improve patient care, what positive change would you advocate for? In terms of evolving the healthcare system, the opportunity to connect communities with faith-based nursing involves establishing meaningful relationships between healthcare providers rooted in faith traditions and the communities they serve. Faith-based nursing interventions at religious institutions provide significant opportunities for meaningful social interaction and health promotion. Faith-based nursing may include health education and screening at faith institutions and care for families outside healthcare environments. Faith-based nursing can help alleviate family anxiety during life, death and stressful situations as nurses build a close alliance with congregation members and are often requested to support families managing severe chronic illnesses. By placing health promotion activities in places of worship, nurses can connect with a targeted group to disseminate key health messages and information. This proactive approach to healthcare promotes early detection and prevention. We at British Sikh Nurses are working with the CNO team to develop faith-based nursing further. What advice would you give to your younger self if you started your nursing career again? Think outside the box and explore nurse entrepreneurship and nursing innovation; it's about developing nursing for the future. More importantly, it would have been to do my PhD in my early career, as we need to see more PhD's in nursing and see them aligned with our profession instead of something separate. It's about embracing and evolving research as opposed to being afraid of it! Finally, in one sentence please share why you nurse? To nurse those who stay in our care for the day, a short while, or leave for the heavens.

On this World Mental Health Day, we’re reminded of the vital importance of mental health in every aspect of life—including in the workplace. This year’s theme, ‘It’s Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace’, speaks directly to us as healthcare professionals. Nurses are often the caregivers for others, but we must also care for our own mental well-being. The pressures of healthcare can be overwhelming, and it’s essential that we foster environments where mental health is prioritised, where seeking support is encouraged, and where open conversations are welcomed. At ‘The Nurse’s Window’, we recognise the unique challenges nurses face and the need to address mental health with the same dedication we give to physical health. Whether it’s advocating for supportive workplace policies or simply checking in with a colleague, we all have a role to play in promoting mental wellness within our teams. Today, take a moment to reflect on your mental health and the mental health of those around you. Let’s continue to support one another, break down stigma, and create healthier workplaces for everyone. #WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealthAwareness #NurseWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #WorkplaceWellbeing #NursesSupportingNurses #thenurseswindow

Meet Rohit Sagoo: (part 3) British Sikh Nurses ☬ What do you feel is the most fulfilling aspect of your nursing role and how does it contribute to your sense of purpose? The most fulfilling role in my nursing career is developing the future of nursing through nursing entrepreneurship and innovation and showing nursing leadership. Founding and creating a community faith-based nursing organisation and working with many other organisations has been a learning and development curve for me. However, the sense of purpose stems from talking to the Sikh congregations and South Asian communities in promoting positive health and reducing health inequalities. Advocating for the community's health needs, addressing health disparities, and promoting inclusivity and diversity within nursing. I aim to encourage a leader's values and enhance healthcare outcomes within my respective communities. My leadership skills have elevated to working in partnership with many community organisations such as we have done, e.g. Marie Curie, DKMS, Anthony Nolan, NHS Organ Donation and the Resuscitation Council UK with unique grassroots outreach projects such as teaching bystander CPR in the Sikh Community. As well as supporting the professional and pastoral development of nurses in our organisation, this gives me a holistic sense of purpose in my nursing profession. Maintaining a work-life balance as a nurse is important, are there any activities or interests that bring you joy outside of your profession? Outside of nursing, I am a director for World Seniors Snooker and the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards, as well as a trustee for a charity called 'Let's Talk About Loss'. I love the game of snooker! Being a director in the sporting industry and a trustee has leveraged many other aspects of leadership, negotiation, policy development, and partnership work that I have taken into my nursing career. Sport and nursing are two different entities, but the care for players, the team and professionalism are very much alike. Being on the directors of the trustee board and snooker, you see various angles of leadership skills from the charity sector to sport; this enables me to better manage British Sikh Nurses as an organisation. It also helps in seeing the vast opportunities for nursing to grow and develop and not be confined to the bureaucracy of the NHS. After all, we must look at nursing beyond the hospital walls; it's a global profession!

Meet Rohit Sagoo: (part 2) British Sikh Nurses ☬ Do you have a pivotal experience in your nursing career that left a lasting impact, whether challenging or memorable that you would like to share? Our mission and commitment at British Sikh Nurses, when I founded it eight years ago, was to help raise physical and mental health awareness and education about maintaining positive well-being and healthy lifestyle choices in the Sikh community and beyond. In such a short time, British Sikh Nurse has grown immensely and has a large following on social media. What started as a small project has evolved into something that is quite a loud voice in the Asian community. British Sikh Nurse now has a natural platform in the Asian community that nationally supports and generates public awareness of health and social care issues. The lasting impact was when we worked with NHS Organ Donation and DKMS with stem cell donation and supported families searching for living organ and stem cell donors. We supported nine families, and all donors and recipients are doing well. And, of course, the small sprinkle of icing was being recognised and awarded the 1514th Point of Light Award and the RCN Leadership Award 2021 winner. British Sikh Nurses have also received an award for outstanding community work from the London Faith and Belief Awards in 2018. And it was a pleasure to receive the Queens Nurse Awards and title in 2024. What is the most challenging aspect about a career in nursing? I have become an influential and trusted voice within the nursing profession and the South Asian community, which took a long while to establish as there were many challenges to overcome. As part of the network of British Sikh Nurses, I advocate for my community's needs and contribute to shaping policies and practices that promote equitable healthcare, cultural competence, and diversity within the nursing workforce. By actively involving our team in community initiatives, promoting health education, and advocating for the healthcare needs of the British Sikh community, we can inspire others within the network to prioritise community-centred care. British Sikh Nurses have firmly established themselves as a community-based Nursing organisation, and the priority is to sustain the connectedness we have within the community as a health promotional driver and reduce health inequalities in the South Asian community. We do this by conforming to the tenets of the Sikh religion, one of them being SEWA (selfless service). This is paramount in our ethos as a faith-based nursing organisation.

Meet Rohit Sagoo: (part 1) British Sikh Nurses ☬ What is your current nursing role and how did you get here? Founder and Director of British Sikh Nurses How long have you been in the nursing profession? 26 years What inspired your journey into nursing, and how has that inspiration evolved over time? It would be clichéd to say that I entered nursing because I care for people; however, that’s not far from the truth. My inspiration for nursing stemmed from a friend who was a nurse and seeing how they evolved as a human being from the profession. This inspired me. Hence, I started my career in nursing. As a British-born South Asian male, I have always wanted to do something different and not in the typical profession, e.g., to work as a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. I broke glass ceilings, did something different, and was one of the first South Asian male children nurses in England. Children’s Nursing was the way I advocated for children and young people. I qualified as a children’s nurse in the late nineties and practised around hospitals based in London for ten years; after that, I taught in further and higher education. In 2016, I started a faith-based nursing organisation - British Sikh Nurses. My inspiration evolved from caring for children to imparting my knowledge to future children’s nurses. Although it remains the same, my faith in Sikhi was about giving back to my community.

Meet Bee: (part 2 of 2) What is the most challenging aspect about a career in nursing? We face so many challenges every day, from staff shortages to abuse to equipment faults to exhaustion but the most frustrating part of my job is lack of beds. This isn’t just lack of beds, this has a whole rolling impact on everybody. Knowing there are people in the community who need ambulances but they are parked outside with patients waiting to come in because the Emergency Department is at capacity.  What do you feel is the most fulfilling aspect of your nursing role and how does it contribute to your sense of purpose? Knowing I have contributed to saving and protecting people’s lives. Being there at possibly the worst point in their life, aiming to make it better. My team. They are all incredible, hard working, knowledgeable individuals, every single day is a learning day and the Nurses as well as the doctors always have time to teach no matter the chaos level and I hope to be the same for anyone joining the team. Maintaining a work-life balance as a nurse is important, are there any activities or interests that bring you joy outside of your profession? My little family, My dog, the beach, friends, anything that brings me adrenaline, fitness, music, driving (anything) and I am hoping to take up stand up paddleboarding in the next few weeks! If you had the chance to make a change in the healthcare system to improve experiences for nurses, what positive change would you make? The obvious thing and short answer is a payrise, it’s very hard to accept on a bad day that working in Starbucks or Lidl pays the same as saving lives under extreme pressure. I would make team building days (paid!) and mandatory but not extra hours. If given the opportunity to make a change to the healthcare system to improve patient care, what positive change would you advocate for? I would massively advocate for community hospitals to be reopened if we had the resources and staff to make that happen. This would take the immense pressure off the acute hospitals and create flow for new patients coming in. What advice would you give to your younger self if you started your nursing career again? Believe in yourself. I genuinely believe anybody can train to do anything they have a passion for and if you have the determination, it can be done. Finally, in one sentence please share why you nurse? People may not remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.

Meet Bee: (part 1 of 2) What is your current nursing role and how did you get here? I am currently a Band 5 Staff Nurse in the Emergency Department. How long have you been in the nursing profession? I have been a Staff Nurse for 1 year, I was a Registered Nursing Associate in training and qualified for 5 years and a HCA for 9 years. What inspired your journey into nursing, and how has that inspiration evolved over time? I left school with one GCSE, I was always told as a child that I was stupid and would achieve nothing, I believed this wholeheartedly. Nursing was never on my radar until I became sick and required Neurosurgery twice. In recovery from this I had a “lightbulb” moment that I needed to do something with my life and I wanted to help people. I still remember the Nurse who inspired me. I was unable to wash and dress myself, (not for long but it was an experience), she even put my make up on for me. I had a long journey to acquire the qualifications I needed but the more I achieved, the more determined I became. I have found my niche in Emergency and although I am where I aimed to be, the determination to go further is still with me and I am planning to return to Uni in September for Emergency specific training. Do you have a pivotal experience in your nursing career that left a lasting impact, whether challenging or memorable that you would like to share? There are so many and COVID was challenging for all of us, but I will never forget holding a mobile phone up to a patient’s ear so her sister and nephews could say goodbye as she was End of Life. I felt privileged to be with her, desperately sad that I was a stranger holding her hand in her last moments and that her family couldn’t be with her.

Meet Molly Payne: (part 2 of 2) What do you feel is the most fulfilling aspect of your nursing role and how does it contribute to your sense of purpose? Sadly, a few of our patients come in to prison in a pretty sorry state, be that physically from injuries or homelessness or mentally from lack of receiving or accessing support in the community. In these scenarios, my most fulfilling aspect is when I see these patients maybe some time later on the wing or when they're about to be released and they're doing so much better because they've received the care they needed from us and the mental health team. Sometimes I'll remark "you're looking much better than when I saw you last" and they might remark "I'm feeling better." And just knowing that our healthcare team has supported them to feel better is a fantastic feeling! Maintaining a work-life balance as a nurse is important, are there any activities or interests that bring you joy outside of your profession? Having a good work-life balance is SO important! It's easy to take your work home with you, especially when you're newly qualified and you're used to having to think about your work (be that uni or placement) all the time! I personally like to craft, particularly cross stitch, I also enjoy watching trashy TV, reading and taking walks. If you had the chance to make a change in the healthcare system to improve experiences for nurses, what positive change would you make? More accessible routes into nursing. I meet lots of fab healthcare support workers who could be great nurses, but unfortunately don't pursue this because the route to nursing isn't easy or cheap. This would hopefully help with staffing and ultimately retention! Finally, in one sentence please share why you nurse? I nurse so I can help our patients feel supported and cared for.

Meet Molly Payne: (part 1 of 2) What is your current nursing role and how did you get here? I am a Primary Care Nurse within a prison. This is my first role as a newly qualified nurse, but I was very fortunate to be able to complete my last placement as a student with this team, confirming to me this is definitely where I wanted to be when I qualified. How long have you been in the nursing profession? I have been qualified nearly 9 months! What inspired your journey into nursing, and how has that inspiration evolved over time? I began working as a carer in 2018, working my way to become a senior carer in 2019, when I started to wonder "what's next?". I really enjoyed supporting the community nurses that came to the care home I worked in when they did their visits and also really loved caring for people, so I decided I would take the leap in 2020 and apply to study nursing. I was so excited to be offered a place and get stuck in with studying! I honestly had no idea what area I wanted to work in when I started studying, but meeting a prison nurse at our careers fair got me interested in the prospect, so I went for an insight visit and took on my management placement there. Now I'm inspired by my fantastic colleagues, aspiring to learn and become as knowledgeable as them! What is the most challenging aspect about a career in nursing? I think unfortunately the short staffing throughout most nursing areas is the biggest challenge. When areas are short staffed, the expectations for levels of care remain the same despite there not being enough people to fulfil these expectations. Many nurses are being overworked and becoming burnt out, whilst also missing out on opportunities to develop themselves.

Meet Dr Sarah Bekaert: (part 4 of 4) If you had the chance to make a change in the healthcare system to improve experiences for nurses, what positive change would you make? Protected breaks (off the ward in a hospital setting) and finishing when the shift is due to finish. This relates to staffing levels. If given the opportunity to make a change to the healthcare system to improve patient care, what positive change would you advocate for? Appropriate numbers of registered nurses on a ward/in a team. There is value in skill mix but not at the expense of registered nurse numbers. What advice would you give to your younger self if you started your nursing career again? Possibly to better advocate for myself as a student nurse – but that just came with time. On the whole I am very happy with the journey – I am pleased I came in a little later when I had some work experience behind me, I am pleased that I moved roles quite regularly early on which led to a range of fabulous experience, I am happy with the move into academia! Finally, in one sentence please share why you nurse? This is a relational role that can affect positive change at an individual, family, community, policy, and legal level – always with the patient/client/child at the centre – it is very satisfying to connect with people at all these levels with the goal of improving health outcomes and quality of life.