8:00am Thursday 27th August 2009
By Liz Watkins
KATE has been doing the job for 12 years and says her role has evolved almost beyond recognition to bridge the gap between the traditional doctor and nurse roles.
Respiratory diseases are those which affect the lungs.
There are a wide range of illnesses including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphphysema, pneumonia, lung cancer, TB, cystic fibrosis and inflammatory lung disease to name but a few.
RNSs deal with all these conditions but often sub specialise to concentrate on one or two main areas.
“Increasingly we take on the whole range of clinical activity from investigation, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing, care management and co-ordination of care as part of a multi-disciplinary team,” Kate explains.
“This nurse-led approach ensures patients are seen quickly, their disease diagnosed and treated without delay, freeing up physician time to see new or clinically more complex patients.
“A major area in which this has led to to an improvement in services for patients is that of nurse prescribing.
“After successfully completing additional training I am now able to prescribe for patients. The broad nature of care offered to patients means that I often prescribe antibiotics, steroids, inhalers, analgesics and blood-clotting drugs,” she said.
Kate is one of five nurse specialist prescribers at Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust. Two others also work in respiratory, one in rhematology and another in diabetes.
“While there has been some convergence in the way in which RNSs and doctors work in teams over the years, we are keen to preserve the core nursing attributes of listening, supporting and caring while delivering a modern multi-faceted service.
“I feel privileged to have met so many remarkable people over the last 12 years and helped them and their families over some very difficult times.
“I am not sure what the next 12 years holds, but the everchanging nature of the post means it is likely to continue to grow and evolve,” said Kate.
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