Nicola Monaghan, Registered Nurse

Nicola was taking care of my son, S, after he was put on life support; she cared for him right up until the equipment was switched off, and S went into theatre for organ donations. Nicola, in my opinion, went way beyond what we expected and treated the family with the utmost respect and kindness. We spent 4 days with S until the end, and each shift Nicola was on gave us support and comfort. As a family we can’t thank her enough, losing our son to suicide was and still is heart-breaking but even though it was obviously affecting Nicola, she was professional and understanding of our needs.

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Nicola was very friendly and supportive of my partner, who came in through suicide. Sadly, he passed away with a hypoxic brain injury. Nicola provided handprints and even let me have a final cuddle in bed with my partner, which I will forever be thankful for. We were kept up to date, honestly and sincerely, at all times, which was important. Nicola showed the top tier level of the 6 Cs, especially care, compassion, and communication. I will forever be grateful. She was taking care not only of my partner, S, but also of us as a family. She is a credit to not only the ICU but to the hospital.

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Nicola looked after my stepson, S, on his last day before life support was switched off and he was taken to theatre to have his organs removed for donation. She treated S and the whole family with such care and dignity at the most awful time; she was compassionate and explained everything every step of the way.