Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's (WWL) Clinical Informatics Champion, Nathan Sinclair, is encouraging other neurodiverse people to believe in their own abilities after setting himself a challenge as part of Autism Acceptance Week.
For almost a decade, Nathan Sinclair, has worked his way up through the ranks at WWL, beginning his time with the Trust as a Healthcare Support Worker nine years ago. He then graduated as a Student Nurse before completing a degree to be an Operating Department Practitioner. Nathan then went on to work in anaesthetics and recovery at Wrightington Hospital and is now a Clinical Informatics Champion in the IM&T (Information Management & Technology) Division using his clinical knowledge in a different way.
The 35-year-old from Standish, Wigan, is now using his skills to benefit patients and staff via the use of technology and is encouraging other neurodiverse people to believe in their own abilities to succeed.
“Being autistic does affect me at work however, it means the areas I have strengths in, such as problem solving, logical thinking, attention to detail and data analysis, enable me to do my job well and learn new skills quickly,” says Nathan.
“There are difficulties that I can face too but, with the support of a great team, they can be minimised.
“Every autistic person is different; we all have our own strengths and weaknesses.”
Nathan’s differences are traits that have been counted as strengths by his leaders in the Clinical Informatics team.
Petro Bekker, Clinical Informatics Manager at WWL said: “Nathan has one of the greatest problem-solving minds, and his attention to detail is quite extraordinary. He fits perfectly into the work ethic of the clinical informatics team here at WWL, which is to enhance patient care and safety, by clinical, digital transformation.”
Alison Balson, Director of Workforce said: "We know that many of our colleagues live with long-term medical conditions or disabilities and we must remember that many of these disabilities and medical conditions are not visible.
“It is essential that we hear the real lived experiences of people so that we can make sure we recognise not only adjustments that might be needed to help people thrive in WWL, but also to celebrate the strengths that this diversity brings.”
As part of Autism Acceptance Week, Nathan will walk nine miles across Manchester City Centre on Saturday 2nd April, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the National Autistic Society, a charity he wants to thank for their work in helping people with autism.
“There are many neurodiverse and autistic people in all walks of life and there are a lot of myths around autism so please make it your priority this Autism Acceptance Week to find out more,” adds Nathan, “always remember, that with the right support we can achieve.”