One In Five for Sunday 19 May 2013

Dina Whatnell’s job is to improve the health outcomes for people with an intellectual disability. She works as the country’s only Clinical Nurse Specialist Lead Intellectual Disability and is based at Palmerston North hospital.

Dina’s days are spent working with patients to make sure their needs are being met, educating health professionals about the best way to work alongside a person with an intellectual disability and encouraging them to do whatever it takes to help a person relax in the hospital setting – whether it be dancing into the operating theatre or singing the national anthem to patients as they sit in the dentist’s chair.

Dina Whatnell.