“As International Nurses Day arrives, I start to consider my journey over the last 12 months while working within NHS 111. I arrived with many years’ experience of caring for patients within the hospital setting but this role is something very different.

“The calls we receive can be anything from end-of-life care to maternity, mental health and general medical enquiries. When I worked in the hospital, we used our senses when face to face with the patients – sight, hearing and touch, but in 111 this is not possible. Communication using words that can be understood is an important skill. Listening to how the caller answers and sounds can give further insight into their overall condition and this is a skill that all clinical assessors have had to learn in this environment.”

Melanie recently completed her Professional Nurse Advocate training. It is a master’s level accredited professional leadership and development programme for registered nurses. It equips them to lead, support, advocate and deliver improvements to patient care, and support development, health and wellbeing.

Melanie said, “This is a great programme that I am very thankful to do. Having professional nurse advocates within 111 means there is further support for all staff. Not only has the programme provided me with more skills for my clinical job, it has also helped me provide support to members of my team who might be struggling, mentally and/or physically.”