Wednesday 12 May marks International Nurses Day – a moment for everyone to acknowledge and appreciate the role nurses play in our society.
Here at the Trust, nurses working with other clinical professionals, including social care, are at the front of everything we do, working across an incredibly diverse range of specialisms. So we want to use the whole week to celebrate ALL our nurses.
As this year’s theme for International Nurses Day is ‘A Voice to Lead’ we asked our nurses to use their voices to celebrate the nursing profession, what it means to be a nurse, especially through a pandemic, and why the voice of the nurse is so important.
Hear our Nurses’ Voices by watching the videos and reading the quotes below.
What matters to me; that patients receive a high standard of care and experience a dignified patient journey that leaves a positive impression on both the patient and family.
As a manager I think it very important to always be positive, accessible and supportive for all the staff that I work with and to promote a positive culture and working environment.
This quote is something that I truly believe in: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” S. Jobs.
What it meant being a nurse in the pandemic; I felt proud and humbled to work with so many nursing colleagues (in community nursing, ISPCT, Bladder and Bowel and Bluebell and Iris wards) who showed their dedication to continue to care for and make a positive difference to people’s lives despite their own concerns due to the pandemic.
It also meant an opportunity for me to be hands on again on Bluebell and Iris for several nights which was initially daunting but an experience I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed and it was fantastic caring for and speaking to the patients and spending time with the great staff on these community wards.
Why the voice of nurses is so important; nursing is a trusted profession that supports patients through the continuum of life. Nurses are caregivers, teachers, innovators, critical thinkers and most importantly the patient’s advocates. It is a noble profession at the heart of and pivotal to the healthcare system. It is imperative that the profile of community nurses is raised as they are often the forgotten workforce with media attention focused on acute hospital staff, but it is the community nurses who work 24/7 who are one of the most critical positions in the NHS as they keep patients in their homes and continually expedite discharges from hospital.
Charlotte Botes, Interim Manager for ISPCT, Queen’s Nurse
Nursing to me is about helping to empower our patients and this is absolutely the case for our adults at risk. Even when dealing with safeguarding issues, which as we all know is specifically about abuse and neglect, it is imperative that we seek out and listen to, the voice of the adult.
Working as a nurse is a privilege and I am extremely proud of myself and my nursing colleagues, especially over the last year. Happy International Nurses Day to all my fellow nurses.
Helen Harris, Specialist Nurse Safeguarding Adults
What it means to me to be a nurse; in just one word: passion. Passion to serve, passion to care and passion to give… The books can teach me the aetiology, progression, treatment, and skills to treat the illness but caring and loving what I do for my patients is not in the books.
Helen Stewart-McKaigue, Telehealth Caseload Manager
Strong, effective infection prevention and control has the ability to protect people from harm and achieve high quality care for all. It is an ongoing challenge to prevent the spread of infection which has been made all the more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Being an IPC nurse during this time has required huge personal resilience, sacrifice and dedication in order to support those who needed our advice and guidance during the last 14 months. It has also been immensely rewarding, supporting colleagues at this difficult time, protecting patients from harm and supporting each other within the team.
We are proud of the camaraderie which has kept us going throughout. This pandemic has really shone a light on the NHS, particularly nurses and the public has a renewed sense of respect for nurses, our voice is important as it is the voice of the patient.
Infection Prevention & Control Nurses
This quote sums up exactly what nursing is for me. “Nurses are there when the last breath is taken, and Nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death.” Christine Bell.
I have been a Nurse for 41 years. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute of my career. Nursing has made me who I am today. With the support and help of all my colleagues over the years.
Jane Kenny RGN, Single Point of Access
Nursing has been my life long career for 39 years and more years to come, it’s who I am and I am passionate about supporting people’s health needs but also about the NHS as an amazing organisation that is free to all.
The pandemic has brought many challenges both professionally and personally but I am proud of how the NHS has responded to the crisis by putting the patient at the heart of everything they do and facing the challenge head on. In safeguarding it was business as usual as the service has to carry on but we were also supporting 0-19 with staffing which brought its own demands to my team.
Why is the voice of the nurse so important? The voice of the nurse is the advocate for the patient so needs to be heard and they are often the first contact patients have with the NHS. We work closely with the patient to ensure their plan of care is delivered in partnership with their wishes and I feel nurses really do make a difference to people’s lives every day which is incredibly rewarding.
Jayne Williams, Named nurse for Safeguarding Children and Children Looked After
Working as a Community Matron enables me to apply advanced nursing skills to a variety of individuals within our local community enabling them to receive the highest person centred care in their own home. Being a nurse working through the pandemic has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, supporting the most vulnerable adults and going the extra mile, for example ensuring that they where able to use their mobile phone to speak to a loved one or even video call! The smile on the patients face at the end of the visit or the ‘thank you’ really did keep me going. Happy International Nurses Day.
Laura Burns, South Wirral Community Matron
I am thrilled to be embarking on a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship with the trust next month. During my time working at the the Trust I have worked alongside so many inspirational nurses that strive to deliver outstanding person centred care.
My nursing colleagues have ignited a passion in me to fulfil my ambition to become a registered nurse. I will be proud to train alongside them and look forward to the next step in my career.
Lisa Kattou, Registered Nurse Degree Apprentice / Children’s Health Promotion advisor, 0-19 service
I have been a nurse for almost 4 years now and to me being a nurse has always meant caring for the person and not the patient.
Throughout the pandemic we have been, in most cases, the only familiar faces for many patients. Most of the patients on Bluebell ward have been with us for many weeks. Therefore we have really got to know them. Since restrictions have lifted, we have kept morale up on the ward by having socially distanced birthday parties and in the evenings showing the football matches in the day room with tea and toast. These small acts have also allowed the patients to form friendships which has been lovely to see, with some of them staying up till past midnight chatting away.
The voice of the nurse is so important as our patients confide in us and trust us to advocate for them. I absolutely love my team on Bluebell we all get on so well and work together. I thoroughly enjoy nursing for our patients and feel as though I have 23 more grandparents when the ward is full. Happy International Nurses Day everyone x
Sarah Parrington, Staff Nurse Bluebell Ward
I retired from nursing on 31 March 2017 and would you believe exactly three years later I was reregistered on the NMC and returned to work on 1 April 2020. I never thought that once I had retired, I would be back to delivering nursing care. However, I didn’t need to think twice about returning.
I am very proud to say I am a nurse and be able to support in several roles for the NHS during the Covid pandemic. I am still as passionate for nursing as I was at the age of 16, when I commenced my nursing career. I feel honoured that I have been able to be an advocate for patients again and provide support to all of the Nurses, Nursing Students, Allied Professionals and Support Staff, that I have worked with over the last year.
Once a nurse always a nurse!
Viv Harrison, Community Nurse Response Team, retired Nurse returned to practice during the pandemic
I am so proud to be a nurse, it’s something I wanted to do from a very young age. We get to make such a huge difference to people’s lives both directly and indirectly. We get to work with such amazing people and learn new things every day. Let’s keep on inspiring our future generations and continue to celebrate the contribution and legacy of Florence Nightingale.
Julia Bryant, Quality Lead (Queen’s Nurse and Florence Nightingale Scholar)
