The patient who nominated a Long Sutton case manager for the Queen’s Nurse title has told of her joy at the award.
Christine Wicks, who suffers from systemic actinomycosis, put Claire Walpole forward for her unstinting palliative care.
The condition affects around one in 300,000 people and, for Christine, it affects all parts of her body, causing pain and “a big struggle”.
Claire (pictured left) is based at Long Sutton Medical Centre and, as reported last week, is due to get the award at a ceremony in London on Monday.(May 11)
Christine said: “When you are dealing with patients with complex needs you need to have a particular understanding and Claire has that. She can come in and I might put on a big pretence that I’m ok, but she can tell otherwise.
“She’s a very special lady. I don’t think she grasps just how special she is.”
Claire visits Christine in her Long Sutton home once a week, checking her health, making sure she’s eating well and taking her medicine and pain relief.
“I look on her as a friend,” said Christine (72). “If I’m feeling down, she’ll pick me up and she instinctively knows when I’m going to have a bad spate.
“I wanted to do something for her. The Queen’s medal is a big honour so I phoned London and Claire’s bosses in Spalding to start the process.
“I had to fill in forms. They want to know your life history, which wasn’t a problem.
“Then I told Claire and a few weeks ago she came to my door with tears in her eyes saying she’d won this award. It was a joy to see.
“She didn’t tell anyone so I phoned the practice manager to let her know.
“Today, so many people complain about many things to do with the NHS. If it wasn’t for nurses like Claire, doctors’ surgeries and hospitals wouldn’t be able to cope.
“They are a massive support and work tremendously hard.”
Christine is also indebted to husband Fred, who helped with the medication infusion process when she had an intravenous line in her chest for 14 months.
Christine was also the Queen’s Nurse nominee for Helen Leatherland, previously a district nurse in Long Sutton and now clinical nurse specialist for Macmillan at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.
