Downe Hospital nurses at South Eastern Trust event

Downe Hospital nurses at South Eastern Trust event

17 May 2023

NURSES from the Downe Hospital joined their colleagues from across the South Eastern Trust for a recent event to mark the International Day of the Nurse and Midwifery.

The event took place at Ards Community Hospital with Downe Hospital clinical manager Cathy Curran and ward sister Caroline Smith in attendance.

Nursing and midwifery staff and students gathered to mark the day and celebrate the exceptional care they give to patients and service users every day. 

The event also provided them with an opportunity showcase some of the amazing work being undertaken across the South Eastern Trust area.

Second year mental health nursing student, Ciara Devine, reflected on her decision to become a nurse, sharing how she experienced a cardiac arrest during a routine hospital operation and required care in ICU. 

Following a period of recovery, she is now back on her feet and has returned to her second year placement within mental health services.

She said her illness made her even more determined to pursue her nursing career and to provide the same level of care that she experienced in hospital.  

Advanced nurse practitioners work across the health trust area and one of them, Julie Trimble, works in the short stay paediatric assessment unit. 

She said: “An advanced nurse practitioner undertakes additional training and can see, treat or discharge patients without referring to a doctor or other members of the healthcare team. 

“Advanced nurse practitioners have the right skills to do the right thing at the right time and a  major benefit of becoming one is the opportunity to progress your career clinically, without taking on a managerial role.”

Highlighting the importance the role midwifery plays, consultant midwife, Hannah McCauley, said people think midwifery is about women giving birth, but is actually more than that.  

“Every person on this earth was born and has used maternity services,” she continued. “If women have a positive experience of care, they will adopt behaviours that will improve their public health and that of their family and communities.”    

Recognising the significant role of nurses and midwives within the South Eastern Trust, the organisation's Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, David Robinson,.

He added: “This event has provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the contribution of nursing and midwifery which is the backbone of health and social care, with a fantastic team of staff delivering the best care, day and night. 

“Nurses and midwives go above and beyond every single day. The impact they have on patients and their families is like little finger prints on their lives forever.”