Nurse Nicola’s act of kindness
When Nicola Peat found out the relative of a patient who had died would be stranded hundreds of miles away from home at Christmas, she didn’t think twice about what to do.
The senior nurse set another place for dinner and opened her home to ensure she was safe and cared for in her time of need.
Now, Nicola, who is working with COVID-19 patients in intensive care at South Tyne side District Hospital, has been recognised in the latest round of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Excellence Reporting nominations.
Trust chief executive Ken Bremner has presented Nicola with a letter of thanks for her act of kindness towards 80- year-old Angela Robinson Cover dale.
Great-grandmother Mrs Robinson-Coverdale had spent Christmas Eve with her brother-in-law, Alfie Coverdale, who was being cared for in the hospital’ s Surgical Centre, and reluctantly left to head home to Cambridgeshire.
On arriving at Newcastle Central Station, the former nurse discovered she had missed her train and was unable to get home.
Distressed and anxious about her brother-in-law, she returned to the hospital and was with him when he died half an hour later.
Nicola, who has worked at the hospital for 19 years and usually works as ward manager of the Surgical Centre, said: “I wasn’t on duty but my colleagues contacted me because they knew I would want to be aware of the situation as I had built up a real rapport with Angela.
“I rang to speak to her and she was so sad as her brotherin-law had just died. I couldn’t bear to think of her all alone at Christmas and asked if she’d like to come to me and she said yes.”
Mrs Robinson-Coverdale spent Christmas Day in East Boldon with Nicola and her husband, David, their children, Jacob, 15, and Isabelle, 12, David’s mother, Dorothy Peat, Nicola’s brother, Paul Campbell, and family friend Nick Varley.
She added: “I couldn’t fault the nursing Al fie received from Nicola and her team and not a day goes by when I don’t think of Nicola’s kindness, patience and tolerance. Compassion shines from her and she is a role model for any nurse. I was upset at the prospect of spending Christmas Day apart from my own family but it was fabulous spending it with Nicola and her family.”