Lucy Moore – Access to HE Health

Name: Lucy Moore

Course Name: Access to HE - Health

Course Type: Access to HE

Alumni Lucy Moore credits success in her career with the firm foundations she learned while studying at college. Completing a foundation degree in 2007, Lucy has since enjoyed an illustrious career in the NHS and is currently a Senior Social Prescribing Link Worker for Hinckley and Bosworth Medical Alliance, leading a team of eight colleagues.

Lucy completed a diploma in nursery nursing at the college after leaving school and worked in the health visiting team for Leicestershire Partnership Trust for 16 years. As her career unfolded, she returned to NWSLC on an Access to Higher Education programme which enabled her to move on to achieve a Foundation Degree in Working with Children and Families. In her current role, Lucy works with the NHS providing services to primary care networks. Her role involves the delivery of personalised support for individuals referred by GPs in 12 practices across Hinckley and Bosworth.

Lucy said, “Mine is a social health role and I work with adults from the age of 18 to help them with any issues relating to either their physical or mental health and wellbeing. This could extend to advice on housing, help with finances, support for loneliness or assistance for those wishing to return to work or improve their career prospects.

“The vast majority of the work I do takes place in clients’ homes and my team supports clinicians where GPs see that individuals need extra help beyond their health issues. My clients may have been evicted or may be facing homelessness and so I meet with them and talk about the best way forward, linking them to housing solutions. Others may be in the grip of isolation or grief and needing help to join groups within the community. Sometimes emergency food packages are required, and I can point people to sources of help.”

At the Leicestershire Partnership Trust Lucy worked in the children’s team supporting parents, families, and children at crucial developmental stages. Keen to look beyond her existing role and explore new career pathways, Lucy realised that she would need a degree to progress. Maths was always a sticking point for Lucy, but she was able to get the grades she needed as part of the one-year Access course.

Lucy completed her foundation degree while working full time and attending the college at its Nuneaton Campus on release from work one afternoon each week. She kept up with her assignments and reading in her own time.

Lucy added, “Successfully completing my degree gave me the underpinning theory to the discipline of community health which complemented my extensive experience. It also gave me the strength of confidence to take a different and stimulating career path. My success is proof that learning does not always have to be achieved by the traditional route, and that it’s possible to return to education at any age.

“Working in my social prescribing role I support and encourage people to re-evaluate their own goals and return to education themselves regardless of their age. I absolutely love learning and enjoyed it more as an adult than when I was in my teens. My next step will be to look at leadership and management qualifications.”