Meet the Team – Dovida Mayo Clinical Lead, Jenny Burke  

When she joined Dovida in 2022, Jenny Burke brought with her more than a decade of experience working as a nurse in some of Ireland’s busiest hospitals. Since then, she has become a valued member of the Dovida Mayo team and helped establish Dovida’s pioneering Spinal Cord Injury Home Support Service.  

Recently, Jenny was recognised for her commitment to her clients by picking up the Dovida Excellence in Client Care Award at our national conference.  

We caught up with Jenny to learn more about her career path, what inspires her, and why supporting clients to live at home, where they want to be, continues to be the most rewarding part of her work.   

Hi Jenny, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you started your career with Dovida?   

I started my working life as an Insurance Broker with Coyle Hamilton. In 2005, I took redundancy and decided to invest this money in my education to pursue a lifelong ambition.   

The following year, I started Nursing in Trinity College & St. James’s Hospital. Once I qualified in 2010, I started working as a Registered General Nurse in The Hermitage, University Hospital Galway, and Mayo University Hospital.  

But COVID pushed me to the brink, and I left MUH in November 2021.  

After taking a few months to recharge and reflect, I started with Dovida in April 2022 as a nurse, initially working for a private client. I then stepped into the Care Manager role for this same client.  

Early last year, my General Manager outlined the issue concerning young people with spinal cord injuries who are confined to nursing homes because they couldn’t get the required care at home.  

This was the catalyst that quickly led to the Spinal Cord Injury Support pilot project. That project became the Spinal Cord Injury Home Support Service, and I was proud to be there to welcome our first client back home.  

The project has since expanded to several more counties, and we hope to be able to offer the service nationwide in the near future. 

Can you describe a typical day in your role?   

There is no such thing as a typical day as the acting Clinical Lead of Dovida Mayo!  

I help cover care calls, especially for vulnerable clients, review clients and homes if a Caregiver outlines issues that may require changes to care plans, liaise with the Public Health Nurses, conduct quality assurance visits with clients, supervise and support our team of wonderful Caregivers, and assess training to ensure it’s of the highest standard.   

It’s a vast and varied role, and I enjoy the challenge!  

How does your role help support our clients?  

Other than family members, our Caregivers are often the people who know our clients the best. If a family member or Caregiver notices a change in the physical or mental condition of a client, I review the situation and refer the client to the Public Health Nurse or Home Support office, with the aim of securing a home care package that’s more appropriate for the client’s changing needs. 

This is an example of how our Circle of Care acts to put the client at the centre. The whole team is acting as one to benefit the client, and I’m happy to play my part.  

What is the most rewarding part of your job?   

A simple smile and thank you from the client, and knowing that, in some cases, we may be the only person that clients actually get to see on any given day.  

Day in, day out, we keep each client at home, where they wish to stay. It may sound simple, but those are the most rewarding parts about working in this profession.  

Do you have any particularly special stories from your career that have stuck with you?

Too many to mention – the first patient that I sat with as they passed on; my first cardiac arrest and working with the arrest team – putting my knowledge, experience, and expertise together to work like a finely tuned machine.  

Most importantly, it’s the resilience I see in our clients and Caregivers. It’s inspiring. We are all stronger than we think!  

What does it mean to you to be recognised with your award win?  

I am deeply honoured and humbled by this recognition, and I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me. It was a huge surprise!   

It’s wonderful to feel seen for my work by my colleagues and to be part of an organisation that fosters an environment that celebrates hard work, compassion, and dedication to our clients. It’s all about them at the end of the day.