Nurse Brannigan Is Fully Recovered. Approx 654 words..

Nurse Brannigan Is Fully Recovered…

There’s going to be a Disciplinary Hearing. The Union have assigned a solicitor to represent me. Still feel like I’m on my own. Top Brass don’t want to know. The DNA Tests will sort it out but the hospital’s being sued for negligence. Thirty years dedicated to nursing and it’s come to this.

I started when you were given time to nurse. Now, all I hear about is bed-blocking and league tables. What’s it come to if a big teaching hospital like this can’t get the resources? There are too few beds, overworked doctors, and a chronic shortage of nurses.

That’s why I was so glad to see Nurse Brannigan. She’d been off sick and I noticed the change. She used to be quick, crisp, cheerful and efficient. Now she seemed sort of slow and lumbering, a bit unkempt and dreamlike. But as usual we were short staffed; otherwise I might have picked up on it.

It had been a busy night, a lot of Caesars and some of the Mums were too poorly to look after their babies. So, I was glad of the extra pair of hands.

“Nurse Brannigan,” I said, trying to get her attention. She seemed to be lost in some dream world miles away. “As usual, we’re short staffed and today of all days we’ve got an extra ward round so I would like you to feed and change the babies still in the nursery. Will you be able to manage?”

“Hmm…Yes Sister.”

“Good. Okay, off you go and be quick,” I said. Although she still seemed as if she was in another world “Then report back to me when you’ve finished. I’ll be in my office.”

She nodded slowly before lumbering off towards the nursery.

“Oh, and I hope you’re feeling better?” I called after her but she didn’t seem to hear.

I’d got a mountain of paperwork…so I didn’t trouble myself.

It wasn’t until I’d finished the paperwork that I realised Nurse Brannigan should have reported back by now.

I left the office and started towards the nursery when I bumped into Jackson, the Hospital Administrator.

“Good Morning, Sister Linguard” he said. “And how are you today?”

“Short staffed as usual,” was my terse reply. I’ve no time for the man.

“Things must be better now you’ve got Nurse Brannigan back?”

“Not so as you’d notice” I said. “She’s taking far too long to do even the simplest task.”

“Well, keep an eye on her” he said. “Depression can be a funny thing.”

Depression! Why wasn’t I told she’d been off with depression?

Alarm bells were sounding now all right as I hurried towards the nursery and quickly threw open the door. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw all the babies sleeping peacefully.

“Finished?” I said, scarcely able to conceal my relief.

“Hmm…Yes…I think so,” she replied.

“All fed?” I enquired.

“Yes, Sister.” She said, looking pleased with herself and still with that silly, dreamlike expression as she fiddled with an identity bracelet “And I’ve changed all the babies!”

Thirty years dedicated to nursing and here I am facing a Disciplinary Hearing!

End