Melanie Manners

Lead Vaccinator

Why did you choose the career you have?

I have been a qualified nurse for over 20 years and like anyone who joins nursing I wanted to help people. I wanted to care for people in need and assist when they are at their weakest and their most vulnerable, to be able to make a difference.

What challenges have you faced getting to where you are now?

This year has seen us all needing to dig deeper than we ever thought possible to assist in caring for an increased number of patients and dealing with some extraordinary circumstances. Covid-19 has brought out the best within the NHS, within nursing and within UHNM.

How does what you do make a difference to other people?

Being the lead vaccinator, I feel I can make a difference during this pandemic. I am assisting in the operational rollout of the largest NHS vaccination programme ever, which has seen over 20,000 people at UHNM being vaccinated.

There have been many challenges and learning opportunities during this process. As an extended team we have worked through them and we now look forward to the next step of offering second doses. It is during these hard times that I have kept the vaccination hub staff moral high, by offering lots of encouragement, support and much needed banter with lots of laughter. This gives the staff an incentive to push that little bit harder as they feel valued, appreciated and supported, which then enables us as a team to meet the goals set out by the trust.

As vaccinators we help protect patients, colleagues and their families. We ensure the trust keeps moving as we work to provide the best care possible to our patients.

The role of a vaccinator may not be for everyone, but I believe we make a difference. We are a very happy team and it is through great communication, dedication and hard work that we achieve our goals.

What would you say to other women aspiring to be in a similar field of healthcare and who may have doubts about their ability to achieve their goals?

I believe that if you work hard all your goals and dreams can come true.