Inspiring Wigan hospital worker takes on challenge during Autism Acceptance Week

Nathan Sinclair has worked his way through the ranks at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL).

He started as a healthcare support worker nine years ago and graduated as a student nurse, before completing a degree to be an operating department practitioner.

Nathan then worked in anaesthetics and recovery at Wrightington Hospital and is now a clinical informatics champion in the IMT (information management technology) division.

The 35-year-old from Standish is using his skills to benefit patients and staff via technology and is encouraging other neurodiverse people to believe in their abilities to succeed.

He said: “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.

“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 seen as strengths by his leaders in the clinical informatics team.

Petro Bekker, clinical informatics manager, 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: “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.”

Nathan will walk nine miles across Manchester city centre on Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of the National Autistic Society, a charity he wants to thank for its work.

He said: “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.

"Always remember, that with the right support we can achieve.”

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