Editorial

Diaries reveal the commitment and care nurses give every day

You almost certainly do not know Liz Alderton, Jason Gray O'Connor or Hilda Hayo, but after reading this week's Nursing Standard, you will gain an idea of what these three nurses get up to in a typical day.
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You almost certainly do not know Liz Alderton, Jason Gray O'Connor or Hilda Hayo, but after reading this week's Nursing Standard, you will gain an idea of what these three nurses get up to in a typical day. 

Each kindly agreed to keep a work diary and share the content with thousands of readers, and the results are as telling as they are fascinating.

The diaries bring home the depth, breadth and complexity of nurses' day-to-day work. Liz, a district nurse, describes how she was delivering intimate, personal care one minute, helping to track down the patient's pet hamster the next, and drawing up staffing rosters later in the day.

Committed to patients

Paediatric emergency nurse consultant Jason tells how he tried to meet the needs of young people with a host of different conditions, while managing the flow of patients through the emergency department. Like Liz, he barely pauses for breath in his 12-hour day, from receiving one handover at 7.30am to delivering another in the evening.

Hilda is chief Admiral Nurse and chief executive of the charity Dementia UK, so unsurprisingly her day is rather different to the others'. Her contact with patients is over the phone via the Admiral Nurse Direct helpline, and an email inbox that is forever being topped up with new enquiries. Dealing with patients you can't see carries its own challenge, of course, especially when they are in distress.

It is plain to see that all three are committed to their patients and delivering the highest possible standard of care.

Read their full diaries at rcni.com/day-in-life

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