HOHC: Lisa Dhibette (International Day of the Nurse)
“Being a nurse is a privilege. After I had my son, I wanted to get back into work. A part-time healthcare assistant role came up at a residential home – and I just loved it! The last thing we can give someone in old age is their dignity and I felt honoured to be able to do that for them.
“It was actually my patients there who suggested I become a nurse. I did an access course before starting my nurse training, and qualified ten years ago at the age of 40!
“My last placement was in the community – I fell in love and knew that’s what I wanted to do. I’ve been working in East Elmbridge ever since and became a specialist community nurse in 2019. It is a big privilege to nurse someone in their own home, their own environment.
“The last year has been challenging, but we’ve soldiered on, ensuring all our patients’ needs have been met. Working with GPs, we’ve prioritised those most in need, and have had to change the way we work - after visits with Covid positive patients, we’ve had to go home, shower and change our uniform before our next visit.
“In many cases, we’ve been the eyes and ears of our GPs, assisting with FaceTime consultations. It’s been a real team effort.
“Our operations manager has been a fantastic support – our mental health has been challenged, but she’s been there the whole way, making sure we still feel like a team even though we are working alone.”
If you'd like to work for us check out our most recent career opportunities here on our website: https://be-more-epsom.co.uk/