Nursing Beyond the Ward

Dear Mr Johnson,  You may remember my previous letter and the book I sent you Blue Girl: Nursing Beyond the Ward , which I wrote so that the work of nurses could be understood and appreciated. And by appreciated I mean with more than applause. Since February, when I last wrote to you about the workload of nurses, mental health concerns for NHS staff, poor working conditions, faulty equipment, and offensive pay, our situation has become dire. Nurses and HCAs are continuing to battle the same issues as before but have since worked relentlessly through this pandemic. And they are burning out. Since your time in ICU I expect you now know better than some how tough their job is in the most trying of times. And yet rather than reward us, you have kicked us in the teeth. We are furious that your government has denied us a pay rise and we won't let this rest. Protests are only gaining momentum across the country as increasing numbers of nurses are thinking of leaving the profession they lo...

I'm tired. So tired of the 'ideal' body images of both men and women that still bombard us on every platform. And what I am most tired of is that body size, shape and type is still a discussion. Who ever decided that women had to be thin and men had to have a six-pack? And who on earth decided that every woman should contour her face in an effort to lose any individuality? It is so boring that thigh gaps, lack of height, soft bodies, big bums, no boobs, round boobs, abs, dad bods and many other body characteristics are an issue. We are all different to each other and unique to ourselves. And that is OK. In fact more than OK. Our main concern should be internal health, not external appearance. For a long time during my childhood and teens I struggled with my dance teachers repeatedly calling me a 'big girl' in front of the other dancers. At the time I was 5'3" and about nine stone. A perfectly healthy weight for my height. However, at that impressionable age...

Let's be clear on one thing. Selfish people who are only concerned with their own needs are dicks. Panic buyers are only concerned with their own needs and therefore panic buyers are dicks. Don't panic buy. In fact, don't panic at all. This outbreak is of course very concerning and by no means am I suggesting that we carry on as we please ignoring vital information. But let's all only pay attention to the correct information. As soon as this situation began I've been urging people not to take notice of the sensationalist media that we are subjected to on so many platforms these days and listen only to what is being issued by the government/NHS. Their advice is clear, sensible and very easily followed. Stay calm, do what is advised and don't ever read the Daily Mail. Nowhere have we been told that the best way to act is to disregard everyone else, ramming fellow customers out the way with our trolleys, so that we can buy 32 packets of paracetamol and 225 loo ...

Dear Mr Johnson, I am sure I don't need to tell you about the challenges our nurses are facing every day of their working lives. They deal with life and death situations, while remaining calm under immense pressure, providing care for all those who cross their path. On second thoughts, maybe I do as your government certainly doesn't seem to be looking out for their wellbeing, so let me lay it out for you. Between 2016 and 2017 20% more nurses left the register than joined it. 44% of these nurses did not leave because of retirement, they left because they could no longer cope with the intolerable pressure of their working conditions. The goodwill of nurses is being increasingly abused with longer hours, pay rises capped at 1% and, thanks to the marvellous idea of Brexit, fewer nurses in our hospitals. Fewer nurses on the register means increased fees for those who remain on it. Yes, we have to pay every year to be allowed to care and these fees are constantly rising. Pay i...

A couple of things I've experienced recently have made me question what it means when people talk about living life to the full. It's often used as a warning in case your days left are short and, for me, it used to provoke images of skydiving, wild partying and endless holidays. I used to panic that maybe I wasn't living my life as fully as I could be. Now though I have a completely different stance on this phrase. While parties are great (I am first up for karaoke after a few wines!) and travel is a mind-broadening and important part of life, I believe it's also about taking notice of the ordinary. Going for walks and actually paying attention to the beauty of your surroundings, cooking good food and eating it round the table with family, walking on the sand and hearing it move under your feet, watching a film with your kids without a phone in your hand. I previously wrote about Tom and Jay, two men I cared for in a hospice, who still found things to look f...

As well as school nursing I'm still dabbling in practice nursing once or twice a week. A few months ago Nellie, a sweet and cheerful ninety year old lady, started coming for regular dressings after she fell on a step and completely ripped her leg open. She was finding the morning appointments with my colleague easy to attend but at this particular surgery I only work evenings. Nellie didn't like coming out in the dark so I decided to pop into her house on my way home. Nellie's dressings were straightforward and only took me about ten minutes but once I'd arrived and she started chatting I didn't have the heart just to rush in and out again. She didn't have children and her husband died quite a few years ago so she really didn't have many people to talk to. She did have a neighbour who Nellie described as 'an absolute scream' but she was in hospital due to have a hip replacement. At first Nellie nattered to me generally asking if I had children, h...

Today I have cried a few times. I have dealt with many, many children who have come to me purely to avoid their classes but I have seen a handful who have really needed me to be there for them and they have absolutely broken my heart. Six months on I am still finding my feet as a school nurse and my eyes have been completely opened. I work in one of the schools that no middle class white person wants to send their child to. And I have never felt like I am making a difference more than I do now. I cannot believe that in 2019 so many children are living in conditions that I thought had finished in my Nan's lifetime. Children living with their mum and five siblings in a small flat with only the sofa to sleep on. Children who regularly attend school with no food or money to buy it. Children whose parents refuse to collect them when they are bent over in so much pain that they can't walk. Children struggling to adjust to life in foster care. Children who are terrified to tell thei...