Clare
Howcroft
September 2020
Clare
Howcroft
,
RN
Research, Adult Critical Care
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds
United Kingdom

 

 

 

Clare is an experienced ICU and research nurse and was visiting the patient in the ICU to discuss a trial that the patient had been enrolled in. This patient had been critically ill and was a patient on the unit over 50 days. Clare noticed that the patient had a pair of glasses that were broken and he was struggling to keep them on his nose. Clare asked the patient's permission if she could take the spectacles home to ask her neighbour to look at repairing them. The neighbour is an optician. Unfortunately, the glasses were beyond fixing. However, the optician replaced the glasses with a new pair at no extra cost to the patient. Clare then returned the next day (on her day off) to provide the glasses for the patient. The response from the patient was enormous gratitude. He was able to do a simple task of reading.
This isn't the only time Clare has put others first before her own needs. At Christmas time there was a young father taken ill suddenly and as he, his wife, and baby were visiting this country they had no relatives to call upon. Clare took it on herself to bring in a baby gift for the patient's baby. Clare is always compassionate and thinking of ways to help others in difficult situations.