Leading Growth Programme – Family Nursing & Home Care

Family Nursing & Home Care (FNHC) is a Jersey charity which has provided support and care across the Island since 1907. The Charity’s ethos is to help Islanders start well, live well and age well.

FNHC provides expert prenatal and parental care, supporting children, young people, families and those who need healthcare or support in their homes. The services range from the Baby Steps programme, Community Children Nursing, School Nursing, District Nursing, Health Visiting, Home Care, Rapid Response and Reablement, Palliative Care and end of life care.

Elaine Walsh joined Family Nursing & Home Care in February 2021, following twenty years of experience in large global organisations, primarily working in finance for UK-based businesses. Searching for a renewed sense of purpose, she found Family Nursing & Home Care and was appointed as their Director of Finance.

Though Elaine had the relevant skills and experience to take on the new role, she would be working with a smaller team and would have a higher seat at the table compared to her previous positions, meaning the breadth of decision-making would be wider.

In January 2022, having gained a year’s experience in her new role, Elaine took part in Jersey Business’ Leading Growth Programme. With full understanding of how Family Nursing & Home Care worked, Elaine sought a programme which would help her to transform the organisation. As Family Nursing & Home Care is a registered charity, it was (and is) incredibly important to maximise efficiencies and make every penny count.

Our community health operational teams are phenomenal. They have an incredible breadth of skills, from learned technical skills to kindness, compassion and courage, which are equally important. The decisions we make as a senior team impact them, and their ability to perform the vital work they do. It’s so important we get it right.

Despite having covered similar content in her career previously, the Leading Growth Programme appealed to Elaine both in terms of quantity and quality. The format of the programme enabled her to create a practical plan, she says, with the holistic approach helping her to summarise where the organisation needs to go, challenge priorities, values and mission.

On a personal level, Elaine says the programme helped her to recognise the skills she had, as well as those that were critical and must be found elsewhere within the organisation.

Recognising that you need to take the time to step back and consider what has happened and what needs to happen next was a really valuable lesson. The programme also reminded me that looking after yourself is absolutely critical for effective leadership. It also hit home the importance of communicating the plan to the entire team. This is vital in ensuring that everyone is moving in the same direction and in the same way.

An additional benefit of the programme is the network newly shared between attendees. Elaine says that having experienced the programme together means they share the same terminology and can advise each other on various points regardless of industry.

"I found the programme really energising. Immediately I could see what our priorities should be and who should be responsible for managing each part of the vision and mission. The content felt very fresh, with great real-life examples and represented excellent value for money. I never felt like the day was wasted, every moment offered value."