Julie Kirby
Julie Kirby, CAMHS Head of Nursing and Quality
My nursing journey started in Kent in Adult acute services and forensic, before I moved into CAMHS services in Kent & Medway in 2011. During this time I was fortunate enough to play a vital role in developing the first 24 hour CAMHS Home Treatment Team. My career with SLAM started in 2016 with the Southwark Home Treatment Team, then onto CAMHS as a Clinical Service Manager for the Kent & Medway Adolescent Unit.
My current role as Head of Nursing & Quality started in July 2020 and I feel incredibly privileged to be in this position. My nursing pathway was not typical and challenges were certainly encountered along the way but I am proud to be where I am. In 2020 I completed a MSc in Healthcare Leadership and currently I am undertaking the White Allies Programme.
I am keen that as a professional group we come together, to support, to learn, motivate and develop. We have a duty to our future workforce to continue to uphold the profession of nursing and provide a framework of which they feel part of something special.
We are so fortunate to have amazing nurses working across our directorate, I really hope that I get to meet each and every one of you personally throughout your own journey, please do feel free to contact me and let me know how your journey is going, and what I can do to support you!
Mariam Kelekun
Mariam Kelekun, CAMHS Inpatient Practise Development Nurse
I'm Mariam Kelekun, the current Practise Development Nurse for the CAMHS inpatient services. I first joined CAMHS as a newly qualified band 5 nurse in 2017 and have worked in the SLaM CAMHS GAU and PICU wards before moving into this role.
Now I work across all of the SLaM CAMHS inpatient wards, providing teaching, training and simulation sessions. You will probably bump into me fairly often as I support the running of CAMHS induction and preceptorship programme. I may even come and join you on shift to help you settle in or catch up on any questions you may have.
The role is great because I am always meeting new young people and staff across the wards. This really helps me to know what is going well and what might be challenging on the wards at the moment.
The main aim of my role is to help guide and support practises of staff within clinical teams to ensure we feel confident that the care we provide is at the best possible standard and remains individualised to the young people in our care.
Carrie-Ann Black
Carrie-Ann Black, Research and Implementation Nurse Lead
My name is Carrie-Ann Black and I’m the Research and Implementation Nurse Lead for CAMHS. I currently divides my time between a National Institute of Health Research programme that focuses on increasing research capacity and capability in nursing and supporting the implementation of CAMHS quality priorities.
I am passionate about Nurse leadership within Research and supporting other nurses to integrate research into their practice on some level, whether that’s supporting service users to take part in research or embarking on their own clinical academic career pathway.
I am on of eight health care professionals selected as a NICE scholars for 2021-2022 and I am currently focusing on a project looking at the implementation of NICE guidance to address the management of violence and aggression in adolescent inpatient units.
If you want to read more about my nursing career and how I became involved in research, then please read more here: International Year of the Nurse and Midwife: Carrie-Ann Black
Mandy Wait
Mandy Wait, CAMHS Clinical Service Manager
I am an RMN who has extensive knowledge and experience of working with children, adolescents and families with complex needs within a tier four inpatient and community crisis services. I possess a strong portfolio of post-registration clinical and professional development.
My career started over 30 years ago after qualifying as a Registered Mental Health Nurse in 1987, my first job was working with children and families using a psychodynamic approach with both children mainly boys and their parents.
The unit then changed its model of care to use behavioural therapy and short term focussed packages of care. The diversity within these models enabled me to develop my skills in varied approaches and be flexible within the implementation of certain models of care. I then undertook the ENB 603 course.
