Mental health and dementia lead

Gill Drummond reflects on her career and what makes a good mental health nurse

What is your job?

I am a mental health nurse with 34 years’ experience and my current job is mental health and dementia lead for North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. This is a new post in the trust and is a key professional leadership role with a multidisciplinary remit.

I work alongside the chief nurse, heads of service, management and clinical leadership teams, education and training, clinical audit and safeguarding teams. Our aim is to ensure safe, equitable, effective, efficient and timely services for patients experiencing mental illness, including dementia and emotional distress, and their carers, when they call 111 or 999.