The best critical care unit in the country, providing gold-standard care – that is Nichola Shorter’s vision for the purpose-built unit at the William Harvey Hospital.
Due to open later this year, it will have 24 beds and dedicated staff areas, plus a state-of-the-art simulation suite allowing bespoke training for the nursing and medical teams.
Nichola, a Band 6 clinical skills and learning facilitator on the unit, believes it will set the standard that other Trusts will want to meet.
She said: “It is really exciting to see our new unit taking shape and to see the amazing facilities it has.
“We can be really proud of our unit, and I really believe it will be the best in the country.
“At the moment when we accompany patients who are being transferred to London hospitals we admire the units we see, but soon people will be admiring us.”
Nichola joined the team as a newly qualified nurse after a student placement showed her the positives of critical care nursing.
Now she works with the education team and helps nurture junior staff to become competent critical care nurses, as well as supporting senior colleagues.
She said: “There is something amazing about being able to teach new starters really good standards of care, and it’s something I am passionate about.
“Our patients are so sick so we have to make sure everything is done just right, and that we are providing gold-standard care.
“It is a privilege to be able to pass that on to the next generation of nurses and I love to see them blossom as their confidence and skills grow.
“I can’t imagine working anywhere else – this is a really special team, and everyone works together and supports each other and no one is afraid to speak up or ask if they need help.
“When we are all together in the new unit it will be even better.”
