Diane's story: Why I'm a nurse

“There’s nowhere else in my career I want to go,” says Diane Jones, a registered nurse at Fairburn Mews in Castleford.

“I’m not saying I’ve done it all,” she adds. But over a career spanning close to four decades, Diane says the most rewarding roles are always the ones in direct, face-to-face care.

To rewind: Diane started nurse training in 1981. She qualified in 1983, and was employed by the NHS, working with patients with learning disabilities and in supported living programmes. Over the years, she worked her way up to management.

“I ended up in a manager’s position which I wasn’t really enjoying,” she recalls. “Because I didn’t get to do as much hands-on work with the people that needed our support.”

After experiencing care home management, Diane decided to return to her love of nursing with a career at Exemplar Health Care's Fairburn Mews. Nine years later, and she's been there ever since.

“I’ve been up to management but have returned to nursing as I love it so much. When I came here, it was such a steep learning curve on everything - especially learning about Huntingdon’s Disease. I enjoy the mental health side of work.”

With a fast daily pace of work, Diane often finds herself stepping to take the place of carers, and occasionally assumes the role of a unit manager. She especially enjoys spending time with service users and seeing how they positively respond to care. 

“What I want to do is make sure that every single person here has my best, and that they can live life to the fullest. They’re all so sweet. It’s the little things, every day.”