Every day, we value the care that our nursing support workers provide - but never has their work been more important than during our fight against COVID-19. So this year, for Nursing Support Workers Day, we want to shine a spotlight on the excellent work that these teams have provided throughout the pandemic.

While many of us were able to continue our roles remotely, nursing support workers have remained on the front line as part of their commitment to delivering top-quality care to our patients. As well as continuing their usual duties in the community and on wards, these colleagues have been manning the new COVID wards across NELFT. They have continued coming to work every day, despite new and unusual environments.

Susan Smyth, Director of Nursing (Clinical Effectiveness), said:

“Our nursing support workers are absolutely integral to NELFT. They are fundamental to the success of our wards - without them, the wards wouldn’t function as well as they do. Certainly during the pandemic, these teams really stepped up. They are unable to work remotely due to the nature of their jobs, so they are still delivering excellent face-to-face care to patients - which is what we’re all about. I applaud their hard work every day, but especially during the pandemic.”

As a side-effect of this, nursing support workers have also become key players in infection prevention and control. Mog Heraghty, Associate Director of Nursing, explains:

“Nursing support workers are the people spending the most time with patients, as they generally provide most of the direct personal care. They have been keeping us safe during the pandemic, not just by carrying out this essential care, but by adhering to strict PPE guidelines - which keeps everybody safe.”

We are keen to applaud the achievements of all our healthcare support workers - so on the morning of 27 January 2021, we will be hosting our fifth annual virtual healthcare support workers conference. This free event - which will be virtual for the first time - is a celebration of all of NELFT’s healthcare support workers (including nursing support workers). This year, the conference will focus on embracing technology, and will feature guest speakers from across the Trust.