On the frontline, the phrase ‘keep calm and carry on’ has never been more apt.
But for the nurses of Ayrshire & Arran, it is the pride in their work that keeps so many going.
From top to bottom of hospitals like Ayr and Crosshouse, many nurses have stories to tell of exhausting shifts and running on empty.
But there are those, too, who insist that after decades of doing their job, there’s still nowhere they’d rather be.
At Station 16 in Ayr, the elective orthopedic ward is a national triumph.
Handed over as a specialist Covid ward during the pandemic, it is back and fully firing under the watchful eye of an experienced team of hands.
Between them, Claire Mitchell, Linda Thomson and Mari Leach have more than 65 years of experience.
And their roster of 60 staff are currently helping to process the biggest turnover of joint replacements in Scotland each week.
Deputy charge nurse Claire revealed: “As staff we all look out for each other and just love what we do.
“Any nurse will tell you they just want to do the best by their patients and we’re no different.
“Covid has had such a big impact on hospitals, and we know that more than most with our ward being used for that purpose.
“But we keep going and it makes it all worthwhile to get patients back on their feet and home again.”
CEO Claire Burden added: “The work of these staff is what embodies the health board.
“They are truly a success story and worth shouting about.”
In acute cardiology, Val Stark is Senior Charge Nurse with 25 years of experience.
She admits: “Constantly having to plan for discharges is the biggest challenge we all face, but it is part of the job.
“Everybody comes to work here to do their best and we feel it like anyone else when people say the health service isn’t great.
“We are all working as hard as we can and the effort we’re putting in has never been greater.”
Christine Campbell, Senior Charge Nurse at Urology in Station 4, added: “I’ve been here more than 20 years and the same goes for a lot of my colleagues on the ward – we’re a very tight-knit team.
“We have a turnover each day of around nine patients and it can be a challenge if the care packages aren’t there for them to be discharged.
“But we are always working as hard as we can to provide the best care and allow them to return home.”
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