Friday, 6 October 2023

An Ode to Community Nurses

 I Moved on today from my post as a community Respiratory Specialist Nurse and I wanted to shout out to all the community nurses out there what an amazing job you do


people think of frontline NHS and think of ICU or A and E but the community Nurses are more frontline than anyone realises


they see patients from cradle to grave, when they are sick deteriorating or are recovering , we keep them at home and try to avoid hospital admissions

we have no special equipment to manage a sick patient just standard observation kit and our own special skills of observation and judgement we are often the only person who has seen that patient in days and they trust us more than their own families.


we are out in rain snow sun hail and storms cold and hot weathers, we drive all around the areas we work sometimes with no clue where we are supposed to be but eventually we get there and we make a difference to someones day.


so I just want to say a special well done to all the community nurses out there whatever speciality you are we are a special breed and I was proud to be part of the gang for a while anyway.

Sunday, 10 April 2022

Nursing in a pandemic

I thought I would write about what it was really like nursing in the pandemic, seeing as though everyone seems to think we are over, but we are coming out the other side!

 I worked as a nurse in police custody at the start of the pandemic and when it first started we were not sure what was going on it was all a bit confusing, we only had 3 sets of full PPE to be used in the event of a confirmed case, we had masks and aprons and gloves of course. But if I'm honest, it was scary, never knowing who was coming into your custody room and not being able to test anyone, we had to make the best of it. You can't social distance in police cells and anyone who was even remotely suspected of being covid positive was assumed to be so.And then I was getting undressed in my front passage because I didnt want to bring covid home!

During the pandemic I changed jobs twice, don't ask me why I just felt it needed to be done, the first time I moved into prison healthcare, this was somewhere I had worked before but I had no idea what was facing me there.

Covid 19 does not discriminate, it attacks prisoners as well as the general public, but lock down and social distancing doesn't work in prison! we got calls to healthcare every day with another prisoner displaying symptoms, we had to go and test them all, and we had very little ppe. We faced opposition from some prisoners, because the cell mate had symptoms they both had to isolate and I even had someone tell me that covid 19 wasn't real, and to be honest it felt unreal at times.

It was really difficult to tell a prisoner they had covid because of what it meant for them, being literally locked in a cell for 10 days with your meals being bought to your door, they already spent more time locked up than usual and had no visits or education due to lockdown. In the beginning, officers were scared to let them out and they didn't get showers or exercise for 10 days. Onto of that courts had closed down so there was unrest in the inmates.

Honestly when we got the call to say someone was positive my heart sank, and I was scared  we had all heard the stories of health care workers who had died, and we were not immune(although I didn't make this obvious to my staff) because it was my job to go and inform them and sometimes we didn't have the right ppe to be in touch with a positive patient, and then there was the added pressure of wether they would be ill!

We had prisoners who got sick, too many of them, in the beginning we didn't have risk assessments so we didn't know who was at risk, we would get a call to say someone was struggling and not know what we were going to find when we arrived on scene, contrary to belief we had very little equipment and barely enough oxygen to go round, we would have to decided who to send to hospital and sometimes the paramedics didn't want to take them in, they were just as scared as we were.

we introduced risk assessments and this increased our workload 10 fold, because every positive patient who was medium or high risk had to be checked on at least once a day and we started getting more and more, we had mini outbreaks on wings and when we started testing new arrivals it was even worse, they were not isolated properly by the prison and the infection just spread. And luckily my husband was keeping me up to date from twitter to all the latest research.

I remember one day we lost five of our patients in a matter of days, it was no joke.

there were days we ran out of masks and had to cope with minimal equipment , and then there was the extra testing, we were tested eventually, twice weekly but we had to test everyone who came into custody and there was errors with collecting the samples so sometimes they sat in the clinical room for 2 days. Then when the vaccine finally arrived we didn't know for a long time when we were getting it, we waited longer than most of our NHS colleagues The prison service was the forgotten service !

I found it hard to work in the prison it was a stressful environment with added risks and I decided to change jobs again, this time I went to community respiratory team where I am now!

This role has its challenges, we couldn't car share so I had to find my way around a new area pretty quickly, and the added bonus of trying to put your ppe on in the wind and rain outside a patients home is a challenge in itself.

Covid was still a challenge but in a different way, I wasn't directly in contact with sick patients anymore but my patients were afraid and I had to reassure them which is hard to do when you have seen the damage covid does.

Then there is redeployment, due to covid the district nursing teams were on there knees, like many primary care services they carried on as normal throughout covid and were really struggling, this was one of the hardest things I ever did and I can't say it was a pleasure but it felt good to know I was helping my colleagues.

Its not all negative, there weren't some positive moments, like the lack of traffic on the roads during lockdown and pulling together as a team, although I found it hard to be called a hero and the claps for carers made me cringe.

Covid hasn't gone away no matter what Boris says, its here and people are still getting sick and dying, we are dealing with its consequences everyday in small and larger ways but I would like to think that during the worst of it I did my bit and made a difference.

Dedicated to all those who have lost their lives during this pandemic


Monday, 31 December 2018

Epilouge

Day 23 which nurses inspire you
Well Charlie fairhaid from casualty obviously, Sister Joyce Barnes my first ever ward manager who taught me so much about being a nurse.my friend and colleague Ann Beacham who advocates for patients first every time and Edith Cavell a brave nurse who did not discriminate and was humble even when she was excecuted

Day 24 10 people you should follow on Twitter
Well me obviously @florencethnurse, my other half @samthewestie my friend and colleague  dan HOLLAND @danjohnholland, this great dog and it’s human @mikeandscrabble, the archers @bbcthearchers, peanuts @ snoopy, we nurses @wenurses, @openuniversity, @casualtyBBCfan and finally this guy @mentalhealthcop


Day 25 what are your nursing pet peeves
When someone asks why your a nurse  and not a doctor,
When people say “I pay your wages” when people say “your a nurse, could you have a look at this” and the inventor of the call bell.


Day 26 what’s your hidden talent.
I can play the violin and got a certificate for my ballet


Day 27 is there nursing in your family
Actually there is , I only recently found out my great grandmother on my dads side was a nurse in the war, my mum is a retired NHS radiographer and My nanny on my mums side was a nursery nurse and always wanted to be a nurse.


Day 28 5 words that describe a nursery
Patience, vocation, human being, tired, determined


Day 29 your proudest moment
There is no competition here it’s the 14 April 2000 the day I officially received my PIN Number


Day 30 5 top tips in nursing
Don’t be afraid to show your emotions it’s what makes us human and good at what we do
Never give up no matter what keep going you will get there in the end
Always ask for help if you need it
Remember your a nurse not a superhero you can’t fix everything and that’s ok
Be proud of who you are and what you do and shout it from the rooftops



Monday, 24 September 2018

The final chapters...


Day 17 your 5 favourite blogs
I don’t read many blogs, so I don’t think I have 5 but I will come back to this one in a bit



Day 18 a photo of you



This is me in my first uniform in my first year of my training in 1997

Day 19 what’s your favourite nursing topic
Nursing in criminal Justice/ Prison Nursing massive topic very underrated and misunderstood.

Day 20 what 6 things make you happy
My Westie Billy
The seaside
My niece and nephew
Penguins
Laughing at nursing jokes no one else understands
Being a nurse in the NHS

Day 21 your favourite thing about being a nurse
There are so many, I think the variety of the profession is wonderful, I have worked in prison hospice care acute medical and surgery and general practice but all as a nurse.
I like the variety no two days are the same, and the fact that a patient or relative can gain comfort from something you do that may seem insignificant. I make a difference to people’s lives every day that’s my favourite thing.

Day 22 5 things you do on every shift
Have at least four cans of Pepsi max
Travel more distance to and from the medicine stock cupboard than any marathon runner
Loose a pen
Find a pen
Forget one of my many computer passwords


Sunday, 5 August 2018

The Story Continues...


Day 10 best joke a patients told you
It has to be I’m allergic to codiene but not morphine, or I don’t know how it got there.....
Day 11 what do you eat on your break on the rare occasions that I get a proper break usually very boring, yoghurt fruit or sand which maybe crisps or a chocolate bar, sometimes I’ll have cereal or toast, especially on nights or a pasta pot and a very big glass of cold Pepsi max.

Day 12 when did you decide to become a nurse
That’s easy when I was about two or three as shown in the photo, seriously though I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a nurse it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do as long as I can remember...

Day 13 what was your favourite placement, i trained in the dark ages and we did common foundation programme, and were privileged to have mental health paediatrics Learning disability and midwifery placements for 3weeks each one, LD was my favourite.

Day 14 3 self care ideas
Have a hobby that is nothing to do with work
Use your leave wisely
Get a dog

Day 15 where do you hope to be in 5 years time I hope I will be a qualified or working  towards being an ANP in criminal justice nursing

Day 16thoughts on nursing as a degree

This is a controversial subject, but it needn’t be so, Nursing should be a degree, why not it’s an academic qualification as well as a practical one, I think provided the placement time is utilised adequately and the students do not think that they are too good for ward work the fact you have a nursing degree does not make you a better or a worse nurse than me who had an advanced diploma, after all the end objective is still the same....















My Nursing Story

Day 6 what you fear of nursing in the future
I think my biggest fear is that the art of nursing will get lost in the science and technology, we don’t need gadgets that beep and computer programmes to tell us that a patient is poorly a great deal can be said for the nurses instinct.

Day 7your 5 most motivating songs
This is quite a difficult one, I listen to music a lot in my car and at night and many songs mean a lot to me but I suppose if I had to pick 5, 
Cher- strong enough, it is a song about being able to cope on your own and believing in yourself.
Bobby McFerrin- Don’t worry be happy, this was a favourite of my nanny and she would break into song anytime someone said don’t worry...
Micheal Ball- love changes everything, love is in many forms and it really does change everything
Mud- Tiger Feet, my uncle Dave was the drummer and hearing this song makes me very proud
Finally Les Miserables do you hear the people sing- for lots of reasons but it’s a song about the little people overcoming adversity.


Day 8 5 current goals
This is harder than you think to answer, I suppose I have personal and professional goals, I would like to complete my Masters degree
I would like to become an advanced practitioner in criminal justice nursing
I would like to loose several pounds of weight
I would like to visit the penguin post office
I would like to see the northern lights 


Day 9 what’s inside your work bag

This made me laugh out loud, a colleague of mine and me had a conversation about work bags a couple of years ago, currently I have 3 issues of nursing standard yet to be read, my pens and ID badges, my stethoscope and a tourniquet, diary purse cosmetic case with various pharmaceuticals, a singe hair slide, a paper clip a half drunk bottle of Pepsi max and a very squished cereal bar.

Friday, 20 July 2018

The transformation continues


Day 3 Your Favourite Nursing quote.... this is a hard one , there are so many of them 
But I think I’m going to have to cheat and take 3 quotes, the first two are from the famous nurse Edith Cavell who was known for saving hundreds of allied troops in the war and executed for treason , on the eve of her exception she is quoted as saying 

They have all been very kind to me here. But this I would say, standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.
She is also quoted as having said 
Someday, somehow, I am going to do something useful, SOMETHING for PEOPLE. They are, most of them, so helpless, so hurt and so unhappy.

This is also one of my favourite nursing quotes
To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse.

Day 4 Your dream job
That’s easy I want to be an advanced nurse practitioner in criminal justice either prison police custody or similar

Day 5 celebrating NHS70

This ones easy too, I was born in the NHS, THE NHS trained me and provided me with a job for my whole life, it’s the envy of the world and no health service is like it it saves lives and makes a difference what’s not to celebrate 

When God Created Nurses

When the Lord made Nurses He was into his sixth day of overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one." And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order? A nurse has to be able to help an injured person, breathe life into a dying person, and give comfort to a family that has lost their only child and not wrinkle their uniform. They have to be able to lift 3 times their own weight, work 12 to 16 hours straight without missing a detail, console a grieving mother as they are doing CPR on a baby they know will never breathe again. They have to be in top mental condition at all times, running on too-little sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals. And they have to have six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way!" "It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "It's the two pairs of eyes a nurse has to have." "That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. The Lord nodded.

"One pair that does quick glances while making note of any physical changes, And another pair of eyes that can look reassuringly at a bleeding patient and say, "You'll be all right ma'am" when they know it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk to a 250 pound grieving family member whose child has been hit by a drunk driver...who, by the way, is laying in the next room uninjured, and feed a family of five on a nurse's paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the nurse very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked. "You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses; recite drug calculations in its sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate, and continue CPR nonstop until help arrives...and still it keeps its sense of humor. This nurse also has phenomenal personal control. They can deal with a multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their door, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how nurses are insensitive and uncaring and are only doing a job." Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the nurse.

"There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model." "That's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear." "What's the tear for?" asked the angel. "It's for bottled-up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save, for commitment to the hope that they will make a difference in a person's chance to survive, for life." "You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," He said.