Respiratory nurse gave our family the confidence to use essential equipment

Deputy sister Lucy Pinner's compassion and expertise helped enhance the care of Margaret Gillham's mother

When my mother was admitted to the respiratory support and sleep centre at Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridgeshire, Lucy Pinner showed exceptional kindness in dealing with her clinical issues.

My mother has respiratory failure, and after a series of chest infections she needed long-term non-invasive ventilation (NIV), so was admitted to a ward at the centre to help her become familiar with the equipment.

Treated with respect

Lucy, a deputy ward sister, was extremely caring towards our family and she is the leader of a wonderful ward team. We found all the staff kind and caring towards patients, with nothing too much trouble.

No matter how busy the nurses are, all patients and relatives are treated with respect and dignity.

The NIV equipment was set up and demonstrated while my mother stayed on the ward for several days.

Help at home

When she went home she relied on my father, who is 94, to deal with the equipment. Initially he found it stressful, as the ventilator sometimes makes a loud noise and my mother can find it quite scary if there is no one else around.

So we called the hospital and Lucy came to the family home to demonstrate the equipment, help us understand it and reassure us so we could use it properly.

Having the equipment explained at home, in the setting where it is used, was very different to seeing it in hospital, and it helped my father to know he was doing it correctly.

My mother has been on the ventilation for a year and it has made a big difference.

Previously she had felt sleepy and tired, but can now enjoy her life and do activities that give her pleasure such as reading, knitting and watching television. Lucy and her team helped make this possible through their kindness and skill.