A nurse who plays a crucial role helping seriously ill Norfolk children and their families says they are "the strongest people" she’s ever met.
Kerry Hall is a Roald Dahl Nurse based at Norwich's Jenny Lind Children's Hospital who supports seriously ill children across the county.
Ms Hall is one of more than 250 specialist nurses, supported by Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which was founded by the Dame Felicity Dahl, the widow of the children's author.
To mark this week's inaugural National Children’s Nurses Day, Ms Hall talked about her "dream role" at the children's hospital - part of the Norfolk and Norwich University (N&N) Hospital - and how she is in awe of the children and families she helps.
Ms Hall, previously a staff nurse at the N&N and a deputy sister at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's accident and emergency unit, in King's Lynn, said: "The children, who have a list of diagnoses as long as their arm, are the strongest people I've ever met.
"Their healthcare journeys are years long and their hospital admissions are weeks, not hours or days.
"They are truly the strongest, most resilient people I've ever met."
The nurses help to bridge the gap between hospital and home life for the children, coordinating care across appointments and specialists.
They help to cut through medical jargon and support families at times when they can feel overwhelmed.
Ms Hall said: "The epitome of being a Roald Dahl Nurse is being able to stand back and look at a child’s needs holistically and advocate for them across the different healthcare services they are under.
"I’m always keen to think outside of the box and use any tool I can to bring some peace of mind to the families I support.
"Reducing strain on the families I care for is really important, but it also reduces costs for the NHS.
"To get to work outside them and empower them to deliver care to their children is my dream role."
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