Nurse wins award for helping woman with depression

A woman who supported a patient suffering from depression has received an award for helping her recovery.

The BBC Radio 4 programme All in the Mind has given awards to people who have helped others with their mental health.

One of the winners was Caroline White, who supported her patient Katrina Curtis through treatment for depression at Callington Hospital in Bristol.

"Caroline was a rock during my illness and I trust her implicitly. She is everything I would want in a professional and her unit are lucky to have her. In my opinion, she embodies all of the NHS values," Ms Curtis said.

Ms Curtis, who is a consultant at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, was ill with depression and had to leave work for a year.

"Despite having medication and psychological help and all the lifestyle measures, I just couldnt get better," Ms Curtis said.

Eventually, she was referred to receive electroconvulsive therapy at Callington Hospital, where Ms White is the head nurse.

"I was pretty unsure about it. But Caroline helped me each step of the way. For me, it made a massive difference," Ms Curtis told BBC West.

"She was extremely caring and kind throughout my illness. She also provided many small acts of kindness such as cups of tea. Caroline never made me feel like I was a bother or problem, quite the opposite.

"Within months of starting the treatment, I was back at work. It was a huge improvement and made a massive difference."

Ms White added: "It's about trying to gain a rapport with the person and understand how they might be feeling about coming for treatment that might be a bit frightening."

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