What Lizzie loves about her job
One of the many things Lizzie De Couto loves about her job is seeing the clients we support who she knew when she worked as a Registered Nurse at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
As a Nurse on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU), she would be involved in the care of many children and young people who needed treatment due to accidents or health-related conditions.
After leaving hospital, some of these children have subsequently become our clients due to their ongoing clinical/complex needs, and it means that in her role as our Clinical Lead Lizzie has been reunited with them once again.
“It’s always lovely when I see someone, I knew from the hospital who we are now supporting and to see the progress they are making with us,” she says.
Lizzie believes she was always destined to become a Nurse, having had a long-standing interest in health and social care, and working with children and young people. She had several work experience placements, including working in a specialist school for young people and helping support a boy in his home on behalf of Mencap.
After completing her nursing degree she joined Sheffield Children’s Hospital in 2018, initially working in ICU.
“I learned a lot in ICU,” says Lizzie. “It could, understandably, be very upsetting but there were also lots of rewards especially when you saw children who were initially very sick get better and be transferred to HDU and ultimately then go home.”
Seeking a new challenge, but still very much wanting to remain in health care and continue to retain her nursing ‘pin’, Lizzie joined Caremark Rotherham & Sheffield in March 2024.
As one of three Nursing Clinical Leads, she has the key role of delivering the clinical awareness sessions for our Support Workers, looking at all aspects of paediatric care, including epilepsy, tracheostomy, gastrostomy and jejunostomy tubes, coupled with suction, ventilator support and much more.
She regularly monitors our staff competencies in the packages they support to continually guide and develop our staff. Not only does this ensure our clients are super safe it also continues to enable our staff to grow.
Lizzie also has regular contact with our clients and their families to ensure the support we provide continues to meet their needs.
‘I decided to come and work for Caremark to gain experience in a different field of nursing and direct my clinical skills onto helping children and families in the community,” she adds.
“I was made to feel very welcome from the outset and it’s great to be playing my part in ensuring our amazing Support Workers have the training, support and guidance they need to ensure our clients can thrive and live fulfilling and happy lives.
“Our clinical training is bespoke to each clients’ needs and therefore designed and delivered exactly to their criteria, which makes it even more person-centred.”
Outside of work, Lizzie enjoys spending time with her partner (they bought their first home just over a year ago), walking, dancing, and playing the piano.