Care over Christmas
A team of specialist nurses from the IRHH will again be on the road over the Christmas holiday, making sure that our patients continue to receive the best possible care at the times when they need it.
The IRHH nursing service helps many patients with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses to be cared for in their own homes, surrounded by their family and friends. And at Christmas time, this can be even more important to them.
Sue Varvel , IRHH Director of Nursing, explains: 'Providing care round the clock, 365 days of the year, is a crucial element of our work. Christmas is a very emotional time when someone in the family is ill. It may be the last Christmas they will share together and they will want to make it a special time.
'We cannot change the outcome of someone's illness, but we can make a huge difference by helping to control pain and other symptoms to improve their quality of life and give them valuable time with family and friends in the comfort and security of home.'
IRHH's four adult nursing teams, and the Pepper team of children's nurses, have worked out Christmas rotas to ensure cover right through the holiday period. 'The teams share out the Bank Holidays through the year, working out a fair system between them,' said Sue.
'Two nurses for each team will be on duty each Bank Holiday, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day. One will take a break in the afternoon and then be on call overnight. Some patients will need regular visits for medication and other nursing care, and there will also be call-outs if a patient's condition worsens. And sadly, patients do sometimes die on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.'
The nursing teams encourage families not to hesitate to call them if they are worried about a patient's condition. 'Sometimes, if there are extra family members around because of the holiday, people will try to cope and delay calling us,' said Sue. 'But it is often better for us to go in and catch the situation quickly.'
Specialist support nurse Bridget Hammond (pictured) is one of the team working over the holiday. She will be on duty on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with Boxing Day off. For her, it is all part of the job. 'If you go into nursing, you know you are going to be doing it 24/7 and 365 days of the year,' she said. 'If our patients need us, it's our job to help them, whether or not it's Christmas. We encourage them to call if they need us. I really don't mind. And I will be leaving my husband to cook the Christmas dinner!'
14th December 2009
