Career profile: Stephen Harrison, Solihull

How did your career in nursing begin?

My career in the NHS started in January 1999 as a support worker at Soho Hill day centre, providing care for adult service users in the Handsworth area. After two days, I was asked to help out in the Handsworth Assertive Outreach Team (HAOT), who were based above the centre.

My role in HAOT continued until March 2000 when I was one of 10 applicants successfully seconded by the trust to complete nurse training at Birmingham City University over three years. Then I returned to HAOT as a D-grade and progressed over five years up to an F-grade, converted to a band 6 later.