Doncaster hospital brings in two new nurses to deal with children with breathing problems

New to the Trust, these clinicians offer a dedicated service across the Trust’s various sites, providing expert support to children with breathing complications, as well as their families.

Together, these specialist nurses provide help, guidance and support which in turn will enable younger patients to manage their condition safely at home.

By introducing this new role, it is hoped that there will be a potential reduction of readmissions into the paediatric service, meaning children will avoid a hospital stay if possible. To achieve this goal, the new specialists, Nadine Cooper and Emma James, will perform the following duties:

Manage a specialised clinic in Children’s Outpatients, which will run on a weekly basis, catering for vulnerable infants who require additional respiratory vaccines over the winter period.

Support colleagues throughout the Trust who are caring for children with respiratory conditions.

Provide inhaler technique training to any member of staff who is in regular contact with paediatric patients.

Help to educate children and their families to manage their asthma at home and importantly to know when to get help.

Speaking about this work, Emma said: ‘’Nadine and I are very excited to be taking on this role, as we are confident that we will be able to make a huge difference together. It’s such a privilege to provide assistance to children and their families with respiratory conditions that may need support to manage."

Emma and Nadine are currently situated in the Paediatrics department at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI) where they have been delivering the new service since September. Their role will also extend to supporting colleagues and patients at Bassetlaw Hospital.

Moira Hardy, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, said: ‘’Treating respiratory problems can be very complicated and requires a lot of in-depth knowledge. As you would expect, this pressure is magnified even further when it comes to children. It is therefore a great privilege to have Nadine and Emma providing such incredible support to our paediatric team. With their expertise, we believe children and their families are in good hands, whether they are at hospital or in the comfort of their own home.’’