A CANCER nurse has reflected on a challenging and unprecedented year as part of events to mark International Nurses Day.
Charlotte Hatton, a Macmillan metastatic breast care specialist nurse based at Dorset County Hospital, has spoken out about what it has been like on the front line in cancer treatment and care to mark International Nurses Day, which took place yesterday.
She has reflected on the challenges nurses and patients have faced throughout the pandemic.
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She said: "The worst part of the last year has been not being able to be with people, especially when you have to break bad news over the phone. It's so much harder to comfort and support people remotely. Sometimes, I've been the only person a patients has had contact with all week.
"Covid has added to the stress patients have felt and, at the same time, reduced the ways in which we can help them."
While it has been a challenging and unprecedented year for nurses, Charlotte has recognised the improvements that have been made for both patients and clinicians through telephone clinics and treating patients at home.
"On the positive side, we restructured our clinics and telephone clinics have definitely worked meaning many patients have avoided the need to travel to the hospital.
"I’ve also been able to treat patients in their home and teach them how to administer their own chemo injections. This has also involved closer working with GPs and other healthcare professionals in the community, building a closer-knit team to support patients.
"Telephone clinics and treating people at home where we can, is a way forward as it makes them more comfortable. People are also living longer with cancer so there will be a need for more nurses in the future so we can give our patients the very best treatment and care that we can, to support them living their lives as fully as they can, whatever their prognosis."
Macmillan partnership manager for Dorset Wendi Abraham said: "We are so grateful to all nurses working everywhere for the care, compassion and sheer professionalism they have shown in coping with the additional pressures brought about by the pandemic.
"At Macmillan we are doing whatever it takes to support our valuable nurses, patients and their carers. But we can only do it with the goodwill and support of the public to help us achieve that goal."
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