Nurses’ Day

To mark Nurses’ Day (Thursday 12 May) we are showcasing the incredible work of our nursing staff and the difference they make to patients’ lives across Yorkshire by sharing stories that demonstrate the #BestOfNursing.

We have 170 staff who are registered nurses, the majority of whom work in Integrated Urgent Care (NHS 111). They are in a variety of roles, from directors to senior clinical advisors on the frontline.

We currently have some nurse-related vacancies for senior clinical advisors in our NHS 111 service. Search NHS Jobs or visit here.

Nurses’ Day is a chance to celebrate the impact nurses have on patient care, as well as an opportunity to say thank you. Here are some of our #BestOfNursing stories.

Mel Barraclough

Highly experienced nurse Mel Barraclough is a senior clinical advisor in our NHS 111 service. Mel has been a nurse for 27 years and initially worked in trauma and orthopaedics and then was sister on a busy High Dependency Unit in the region.

“Working for NHS 111 means using my nursing knowledge and skills to help patients receive one-to-one assessment and get them the right care at the right time,” said Mel.

“Being able to dedicate my attention 100% to that patient - at that time when they need it most - makes working for NHS 111 really rewarding.”

Jackie Thatcher

Jackie Thatcher is a clinical team leader in our NHS 111 service and has been a nurse for over 30 years.

She said: “I trained as a general nurse then progressed to a registered sick children’s nurse. After working with children for many years, I moved to NHS Direct and then NHS 111 in telephone triage.

“I have predominantly loved my time in nursing but at times it has been challenging, as you can imagine. As a nurse, you regularly move through every emotion - happiness, contentment, sadness, anger, fear and worry to name but a few, but I look back on my career with pride and contentment.

“I hope to retire in the next couple of years but can’t imagine not nursing, so I think I’ll be on elastic and return part-time for a while longer.”

Charlotte Butt

Charlotte Butt, a senior clinical advisor in our NHS 111 service, has been a nurse for over five years but has worked within the NHS for 13 years.

She said: “Within that time I've worked within a variety of different care settings including acute care, maternity, substance misuse, infectious diseases and now YAS. And that's what I love about being a nurse! No two days are the same and there's always a new challenge to tackle! You learn something new every day in nursing.”