Natasha Lucas is a Clinical Nurse Specialist working with Otology patients in the Head and Neck department at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton Trust. Natasha is a current FNF Fellow (2024/25), one of our Academy Member benefits. In this blog, Natasha discusses the Fellowship experience to date.
Why become an FNF Fellow?
Being a nurse who never likes to stay still and is always looking for the next challenge, I think my Matron recognised the need to keep motivating me and suggested I investigate the FNF Fellowship programme. After reading about the exciting opportunities it could offer, I promptly filled in an application form in order to be entered into our trust’s selection process. I am a firm believer in the ‘if you don’t apply, you definitely won’t get selected’ thought process so I threw my hat into the ring!
Next came the interview, a very nerve-racking process but I was determined to use my limited time to highlight my achievements.
One of my most treasured achievements of my career so far was devising a course specifically for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) nurses to refresh knowledge, update skills and create networking opportunities. In 2019, the Government announced a £1,000 budget for all nurses to contribute to revalidation requirements. This was allocated in recognition of the need for nurses to continually build on their skills, knowledge and competence to offer the best care possible to patient’s. When this was announced, my initial thoughts were that this was a brilliant opportunity to expand my current knowledge however upon lots of searching, the availability of courses specific to ENT nurses is almost non-existent. There were lots of microsuction courses and lots of courses aimed at Resident doctors/medical staff however nothing for the keen ENT nurse. I tend not to let things like this stop me in my plans so decided to device and run my own course! This involved recruiting our lovely ENT Consultants as speakers for the day and I was blown away by the response. There were lots of offers of support and from there, the timetable was born. To cut a long story short, I then went on to advertise the course across the UK and bookings soon started to come in.
The course ran successfully with 50 delegates and Key speakers from the across the Trust discussed topics such as ear conditions and treatment options, vestibular disorders, thyroid function and thyroid cancers, tracheostomy care and rhinitis and epistaxis.
I’d like to think this achievement helped me stand out from the crowd during my interview and I was selected to become one of the Trust’s FNF Fellows.
“I am a firm believer in the ‘if you don’t apply, you definitely won’t get selected’ thought process so I threw my hat into the ring!”
Beginning the Fellowship
Nervous was an understatement! I have always appreciated the benefits of networking across professions (in a previous life I was a tax advisor and ran a networking group with some fellow professionals) however I had not undertaken anything like this within my nursing professional career for a long time. I attended both the Members Symposium and the Policy Think Tank days at Reading Town Hall. What an amazing event to attend, the event was attended by many FNF colleagues, Chief Nurses and a variety of professional nurses from all different fields and areas. I particularly enjoyed the World Café’ section of the day which involved smaller groups discussing topics such as interdisciplinary research collaboration, cross cultural humility and enabling a safety culture. I knew from this alone that this year was going to widen my knowledge of what leadership encompasses and it was really fascinating to hear insights from those around my table as it just shows to breadth of experience and knowledge across the nursing profession. Also, the venue was stunning and despite my initial nervousness (will anyone speak to me, will I have anything to say…), I thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Fellowship sessions
Then began the fellowship virtual sessions, again a mixture of emotions from nervousness (can I work Microsoft Teams enough to participate?!) and excitement. Luckily, my working knowledge of Microsoft Teams has come on leaps and bounds since attending the virtual sessions. There have been a variety of topics covered such as leadership signature, finding your professional voice and authority, power and influence. During these sessions, there are opportunities to discuss some of these topics in more detail with other FNF Fellows via ‘Breakout rooms’ (never knew these existed prior to this!). This was invaluable when relating these new leadership concepts into real world situations.
The FNF speakers have be engaging and encouraging, with people freely sharing ideas and thoughts in a safe space. Particular mention goes to Becky Thomas from the FNF as her sessions are always thought provoking.
Community of Practice sessions
Within the fellowship, I have been involved in many community of practice sessions with FNF members from across my trust. This alone has been an amazing opportunity to network with different colleagues who, without the FNF, I may never have met. During these sessions, we had the opportunity to work together to plan our Trust’s International Nurse’s Day celebrations. International Nurse’s Day is celebrated every year on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingales birth and is a day which marks the contributions which nurses make to society.
The celebrations involved working with a variety of colleagues and partners and I had the opportunity to speak to our Chief Executive, Stephen Posey about my FNF Fellowship year.
Green Clinical Forum
I couldn’t write this blog without mentioning my big passion being sustainability in the NHS. The fact the NHS is responsible for 25 million eCO2/year which is more than the carbon footprint of many small countries including Malta and the Bahamas is astounding to me, and I want to be involved in making a difference. Our Trust has a Green Clinical Forum which consists of a group of sustainability minded colleagues sharing ideas and trying to make a difference. Recently the chair of this group needed to step back to focus on other duties and I offered to step into this position. I think the fellowship sessions and networking have enabled me to see that I can step forward and lead and it has given me to confidence to take on this challenge. We have an exciting launch of a Green Fund coming soon through this forum and with money donated by Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity, staff will be able to apply for small grants to undertake sustainable projects within their areas.
Reverse mentoring
Reverse mentoring is a key part of the FNF Fellowship. Reverse mentoring aims to foster a two-way exchange of information, enhance cross-generational understanding, and promote a collaborative learning environment within healthcare settings. My reverse mentoring got off to a bit of a slow start as after my initial session, my designated mentor, left the trust. Luckily, our lead nurse for Professional Standards, Karen Hill, stepped in to save the day. In the short time she has been my mentor, we have had an excellent first session which gave me lots to go away and reflect on and she also arranged a reverse mentoring session with our Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Chief Nurse, Garry Marsh. This was a fantastic session with my fellow FNF colleagues and we gained an insight into Garry’s career, how he leads and influences and challenges he has faced. We were also able to ask our own questions and Garry was very open and candid with his answers.
The impact of the fellowship and what comes next?
At the start of the fellowship, it was hard to predict how much I would gain from this opportunity. However, despite experiencing it all, writing this blog has really bought home all the achievements and opportunities gained this year. I think the biggest impact for me is the networking. I am a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel within the NHS and the collaboration and networks established this year alone have made me excited for the future.
Next year, we are aiming to expand our celebrations for International Nurse’s Day and I hope to be able to support the next set of FNF Fellows and continue to use my leadership skills to promote positive changes both within my department and beyond.
(Published 2 June 2025)
