A Night in the Life of a Marie Curie Nurse

Marie Curie have been our charity partner for almost a decade and in that time we have raised over £2.7million for the charity. This can fund over 135,000 hours of nursing care! This International Nurses Day, we want to recognise all the amazing nursing teams working up and down the UK! Learn about Victoria’s story as a night nurse for Marie Curie and see the incredibly hard work that the Marie Curie teams put in to support families in difficult times.

Victoria, a senior registered nurse works at night with the Marie Curie Rapid Response in South East London. This specialised service helps patients and families faced with terminal illness in urgent need of care in the night or at the weekend. She tells us what a typical night consists of…

I start my shift at 8pm and liaise with the nurses about any immediate call outs. As a Rapid Response team, we visit patients in their homes which could be anywhere in the Bromley and Lewisham area.

I then go out and assess and give care and medication depending on what is required or admit to Hospital if that’s needed. Working during the pandemic has been challenging. Before we could just pop in and see a patient quickly, without any fuss but now we must put on the PPE and take added precautions to make sure everyone is safe.

At the beginning of my shift, I’m on my own for a couple of hours and then at 10pm, I’m joined by a Healthcare Assistant and we work together until 8am the following morning.
Working through the night has its own challenges because firstly you’re out in the dark and sometimes finding an address in the night can be extremely difficult.

Some addresses are just house names without a door number… and the Sat Nav, as good as it is, can also be very misleading and take you somewhere else!

Our safety and security are very important and that’s why at 10pm my colleague joins me so that we can work safely together.

‘We are also there for the family too’

Most of our patients, when we arrive at their home can’t talk to you, so we are reliant on getting an update from the family. Some families are in a lot of distress, so we are there to reassure them. It’s very important to explain to both the patient and the family member what you are doing and how it will help.
The family often have lots of questions they want to ask, especially around prognosis. I never have that sort of conversation in front of the patient. I would talk away from the patient in the kitchen or somewhere private. I would explain the situation and answer any questions.

On leaving the home I always reassure the family that if anything changes to call us back immediately. Families are very grateful to know that help is there.

‘Working during the night, has changed my appetite and approach to when I have my meals.’

After my shift, I don’t have breakfast, when I get back from work in the morning I go straight to bed and then I get up around one or two o’clock in the afternoon and that’s when I have something to eat.

I want to give my best to my patients, I want to be alert and energetic and in a good place emotionally. I don’t book any appointments or do anything before two o’clock to allow myself time to rest. I have to look after myself so I’m able to give the right standard of care to my patients.’

‘I see it as my personal duty to give the best care possible’

I’ve worked for Marie Curie for nearly 20 years, I initially worked for 13 years and then returned after a break of six years because I believe in what they are doing. I do love my job; I will probably be the last person that will care for that patient, so I see it as my personal duty to give the best care possible and the family see that the best is being given to their loved one. Me being there will give the family all the reassure that everything is being done.

Here at Savers, we are passionate about giving back to our local communities. The Marie Curie team work tirelessly to ensure great care for those facing the hardest times in their life. Visit our blog to learn more about our long standing partnership with Marie Curie.