Family thank nurse for staying by grandfather's side

The family of a grandfather who passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic have thanked nurse Clare Jones for her care. Reginald Whalley was cared for recently on ward 126 at Royal Stoke University Hospital. Sadly, the family were not able to say goodbye to Reginald themselves, so Clare stayed by his side and held his hand as he died.

Kerry Spackman, Reginald’s granddaughter, said: “This lovely lady is a true credit to the nursing profession and to our trust and the NHS. She cared for our grandfather in his final hours and for that we as a family will be eternally grateful and cannot ever thank her enough. I have also worked on a Covid ward and when I spoke with Clare and thanked her, she also became upset about some of the horrors we have seen during the pandemic. I feel Clare went above and beyond helping to support us all through the shock and trauma we were feeling.”

Kerry, who also works at Royal Stoke, has given Clare the UHNM Hero award as a thank you for the difference she made.

Clare said: “Getting this award has made going through all the badness of this last year worthwhile. It makes you realise you are doing good for people and that you do make a difference. Nursing is just something I’ve always wanted to do, my family are all nurses. Seeing people getting better is really satisfying and I just love caring for people. I love the talking and the closeness.”