‘Things can hit a bit harder at Christmas’ - Belfast health workers on shift this week speak to the Irish News

Belfast health workers on shift this Christmas have spoken about being there for patients on what can often be the worst day of their life.

Speaking to the Irish News were two emergency nurses at the Royal Victoria Hospital, a district nurse manager helping to deliver palliative care and a domestic assistant who has volunteered at the Mater Hospital on Christmas day for 15 years.

Amy Sullivan (27) is a sister in the Royal’s emergency department, working from 2pm on Christmas day.

She said Christmas week is much like any other in terms of footfall, but staff try to create a festive atmosphere for patients and encourage as much visiting from relatives as possible.

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The nature of the job, however, means the team are always ready for the unexpected.

“It just depends, there could be an emergency like a car crash. There’s no real way of knowing when these things will happen,” she said.

Working in the department for the last six years, she has noticed growing demand on the emergency department but said staff had also adapted well.

“Emergency work has always interested me. You don’t know what’s coming through the door and see such a variety of things,” she said.

“You could be with people on one of the worst days of their life if they’ve had a really tragic event.

“It’s being able to be there as a nurse in that caring side of things, to support the family.

“But also from a skillset point of view, you get excellent training working as a nurse in an emergency department and exposed to such a variety of conditions and procedures.

“The atmosphere and teamwork is also like nothing I’ve ever experienced on the wards before.”

Another sister in the ED is Naomi Simpson (31) from outside Derry, who will start her shift in Belfast before making the long drive to be with her family for a late Christmas dinner.

“We don’t really take a break, the only difference is you can feel the excitement coming up to Christmas.

“At this time of year, we would see a lot of people with pneumonias, flus. A lot of elderly people are more susceptible to that.

“We also see a lot of people who are lonely over Christmas coming in as well. They just want to spend time with somebody as they don’t have a family.

“Once you chat with them they open up, it’s quite a sad time of year for them.”

She adds: “I think things can hit a bit harder at Christmas too, for people injured in road traffic accidents or those who are critically unwell.”

On choosing emergency nursing, Naomi said she “thrives on the chaos.”

“I love the madness. That’s not something everyone will say. A lot of nurses will say they love routine and order, but I just love it.”

Kevin Herron (44) from Belfast is a domestic assistant at the Mater Hospital, where he has also volunteered on Christmas day for the last 15 years.

Arriving with presents on the wards as Santa on Christmas morning, he will also return at 3pm to start his shift.

“We try and give patients a lift on Christmas morning. It’s just the duty of care we feel for them.

“Yes, we have our own families, but it’s a health service that’s open 365 days a year.”

Kevin has noticed an increase in homeless people attending the Mater’s emergency department following the closure of the Welcome Organisation’s drop-in centre near the hospital over the summer.

“We get inundated with homeless people and a few drug addicts, but you still have to treat them as human beings and do your best to help them get a bit of cheer,” he said.

“It’s often not their fault the way they are, and they just want a bit of heat and comfort.”

He added: “Some of them have no families themselves, and we try to give them 10-15 minutes of your time after their Christmas dinner.

“In support services, we don’t really talk about our own families as we understand some people wouldn’t really have that.

“So we tell people ‘we’re here with you’ to put a smile on their faces.”

Leanne Rooney (41), originally from Andersonstown, and works as a district nurse team manager for overnight services.

As well as scheduled home visits, much of the work will be responsive and often focused on end-of-life palliative care.

“We provided care for all those patients right through the pandemic when many family members weren’t able to visit, so district nurses were often some of the only faces they would see,” she said.

The team also operate in all weather conditions, such as in recent weeks when snowbound staff had to abandon their cars and walk to patients’ homes overnight.

A few years ago, Leanne also recalls getting transported by tractor out on to the main roads to help her get to patients.

In recent years, the team has also taken over some of the work carried out by GPs, such as formally recording when people die at home.

“We may already have been out at those houses that same day,” she said.

“We can provide that care for the family as they are much more familiar with us and can advise them of the next steps.

“So you’re even providing care after death. A lot of these families don’t know what to do, what actions you have to take.”

Starting in district nursing in 2007 in west Belfast, she said: “I just loved community nursing, I loved seeing people in their own homes.

“It’s a very different structure from the medical wards I started out in at the Mater Hospital.

“I like the responsive nature of the work, which means a lot of problem solving overnight.”