Published on 20 September 2021
A newly qualified Nursing Associate is already making her mark after introducing audio books to help patients on her ward.
Debbie Delo, who works on Kings B at the William Harvey Hospital, decided to trial the books as part of her final assignment for her apprenticeship course.
She worked with charity Books For Dad and PrepWorld to source devices and the books to load on them, and headphones were donated by friends and East Kent Hospital’s IT department.
Debbie said: “I have worked on Kings B for nearly four years and noticed that patients’ mental health can decline if they are not stimulated or are bored.
“Research shows that clinical outcomes are also affected when patients become depressed so that was the focus of my assignment.”
She spoke to patients to find out what they would benefit from, and many said they did not feel well enough to concentrate on a printed book or magazine, or had not had time to bring one in with them.
Books For Dad, which was set up by two brothers after their dad was admitted to hospital with Covid, provided 50 books for each device, while Debbie’s daughter raised £166 by doing her Brownies’ Charity Badge to pay for headphones for people who can’t use earphones.
She said: “Feedback from patients is already wonderful and I feel it is really making a difference to their experience, giving them something to focus on and look forward to in their most vulnerable time.
“The Nursing Associate Apprenticeship has given me the tools and confidence to feel I am able to implement positive changes for our patients and I would recommend anyone thinking about doing it to go for it!
“I am very proud of my achievement in becoming an NMC registered Nursing Associate and the positive contribution I have made to the ward who have supported me throughout my programme.”
