Sally-Anne Wherry arrived in Australia from England earlier this year with ''a suitcase of clothes and a suitcase of books'' ready to take on a new challenge in the ACT Health Directorate.
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She was appointed the ACT's first Parkinson's disease clinical nurse consultant and has not regretted her decision to leave her home country, not least because her colleagues have been welcoming and open-minded to new ideas.
''The enthusiasm for my role is incredible,'' she said. ''Every time I ask people, 'Can we do this?' the answer is always 'Yes' or 'We'll have to work out how, but we really want to'. No one has said 'No'.''
And there is already a demand for her services. She has 56 patients on her book, with 25 referrals in the past month. The patients ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s, with many younger patients still having to juggle jobs as well as their condition.
Based at the Canberra Hospital, Mrs Wherry provides clinical support and education for patients with Parkinson's and other movement disorders at home, in out-patient appointments and on the wards.
Working within the Chronic Care Program, she coordinates the care and education of Parkinson's patients to help them self-manage their disorder, improve their quality of life and negotiate through the numerous health professionals they must come in contact with, including GPs and neurologists.
''My job is really about looking after Parkinson's wherever they are,'' she said.
''Education is a huge part of my role. The more the person with Parkinson's knows about their disease, the symptoms and the way their medication works, the more they are able to fine-tune their self-management.''
Mrs Wherry said there were no firm statistics on the incidence in the ACT of Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.
''We don't know at the moment and that's one of the many projects we're working on,'' she said.
Eileen Jones, 75, of Bonython was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago and says the appointment of Mrs Wherry has made a big difference to her day-to-day life including coordinating her medication when she has been hospitalised. She had praise for Mrs Wherry and clinical care coordinator Wendy Appleton.
''Bringing together everything, these lovely girls have been able to talk to me and solve our problems for us,'' she said.
Mrs Wherry's husband Brian and 17-year-old daughter Summer - and the family's two dogs - are due to join her in Canberra in July.
