Meet Road Dahl Nurse Fiona

On International Nurses Day, nurses are celebrated across the globe. Across the UK, there is a growing network of Roald Dahl Nurses whose specialist support is changing children's and young people's lives. We met with one of our Roald Dahl Nurses, Fiona French to find out more

As a Roald Dahl Nurse specialising in haematology, Fiona is offering hundreds of young patients a bespoke, holistic package of care and on a mission to see their conditions better understood while supporting their family to break down the barriers outside the hospital to promote their wellbeing.  "When something is not properly understood and is less prevalent in healthcare, stigma can creep in,” says Fiona. "And that causes families to talk less about it, which can make their children fearful of how they'll be seen. That, in turn, can make parents more fearful, too, and so protective and tempted to hide the problem away. None of this is good for their health.” Fiona is talking about blood conditions like sickle cell anaemia, the genetic condition which has been fighting stigma for many years - screening for it only came in in 20 years ago after a long campaign, with standards for treatment adopted by the NHS a few years later. “When I went through additional training, I could see that there was a tendency - I'd had the tendency at times - to focus on pain management and send patients on their way with a prescription. I was shocked when I learned more and saw that much of our care was barely scratching the surface.  We have screening now and systems in place, but sickle cell is not taught in nursing education. Most nurses believe that pain is the only symptom of the condition, but it is a small part of the patient's journey.   “We set up a haemoglobinopathy health care programme and it opened our colleagues’ eyes to the impact of these blood disorders, the experience of those who live with these conditions, the serious complications they can cause and the inequalities of care we need to tackle in this arena."

Roald Dahl Nurses like Fiona - and there are now over 200 of them caring for over 40,000 children in the UK - are employed by the NHS but their posts are established and supported by Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity. The charity leads on nurse led innovations across the UK, offers ongoing nurse development and peer support opportunities and provides support services for families. But Roald Dahl Nurses also continue to be a voice for what is possible, this month at their national conference in May focusing on ongoing inequalities in paediatric care and how they can be challenged and changed. “I am focusing on children’s physical health - and we have over 300 young patients at the moment with sickle cell or thalassemia – but in this role I have the freedom to work in a holistic way with families, helping them navigate this journey and providing them with a single point of contact they can call on outside their appointments at the hospital. It’s about more than listening. We can be proactive, visiting them at home or talking to their children’s school. We can signpost the charity’s support services - financial or emotional counselling, or their peer support groups so families can meet others whose children have the same condition so they can build a supportive community.” Fiona says they are hugely encouraged by the difference they are seeing through this way of working. How it builds parents’ confidence and takes away their fear and anxiety. Unfortunately, there are thousands of children without this specialist care. Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity raises vital funds to establish more nurses across the UK. Find out more about Roald Dahl Nurses and how you can support today.