Katie has always demonstrated a great deal of empathy and compassion for her patients, especially for those approaching the end of life. I can think of many examples of where her care has made a difference to a family. The most recent event is just one example.

There was a palliative patient on AAU. His family did not want nursing staff to disturb him too much, and they only wanted minimal care from the team. It was not that they distrusted the staff on the unit or had any concerns; they just felt it was better for him to be calm and not disturbed.

Several days passed, and then Katie came on shift. She introduced herself to the family and, over the course of the morning, built their confidence in her. Katie explained that, as a nurse, she could not leave him with his unshaven face and really would like their permission to make him look "dapper".

The family agreed and allowed him to be shaved.

The next morning in the early hours he passed away.

When I went to speak to the family, the first thing they said was how grateful they were to Katie and how happy they were that she had taken the trouble to talk to them. They said he had always been so proud of his appearance, always clean-shaven. They felt that he had been waiting for this shave before he could pass.

They also said that the day had been filled with laughter and smiles that Katie had used humour and kindness to help them and they will be forever grateful for that last day with their dad.

Katie has been a band 6 on AAU for several years, often as a nurse in charge with many conflicting responsibilities and pressures, but she has never forgotten what good care is and how the simple aspects can make such a difference to a patient and their family.