I work hard but know when to have a laugh too. When I’m on the night shift I bring in cakes and treats for my colleagues. In addition, I always take time to have a chat with our patients to make them laugh and feel better. You meet so many incredible people, from many different walks of life. Everyone here is equal, it’s lovely.

When I joined West Suffolk a couple of years ago, I was quiet and shy. My confidence has increased so quickly, and it’s down to the amazing team I work with. Genuinely, I wish I’d joined the hospital years ago.

I’ve had great on the job training. You complete a care certificate qualification in your first few months of joining to really improve your skills when caring for patients. Most people don’t realise you don’t need any formal NHS or healthcare experience to be a nursing assistant. But you do need a willingness to learn, compassion towards patients, professionalism and a can-do team attitude.

There’s a lot of flexibility in my role and the chance to do overtime and progress if you want to. I’m training for my level 3 diploma to become a senior care assistant. It’s two study days a month and on the job training, fully-funded by the Trust. When I saw the opportunity and asked my manager about it she was so supportive and wanted me to go for it.

Some nursing assistants here are being supported to train as band 5 registered nurses through the Trust’s nursing apprenticeship programme. If you’d like to work in healthcare or the NHS, a nursing assistant is a great role to be in, especially at the West Suffolk.

Join us – what will you #BeKnown for?