SIR – RE Chaplain’s Blog (Making time for our very special staff, February 11) – how true his words are and thank you.

I retired from 46 years of nursing four years ago. I would often say to staff that we often had no idea of people’s past and what made them behave in certain situations.

Empathy and compassion are key skills in nursing, developed over time and experience.

In today’s hurried world they can often be forgotten. However, they are a rich source of human behaviour and help us to care for each other in our every day lives.

By applying these skills to my clinical practice enabled me to be a more effective nurse and manager.

They also provided me with powerful stories to share and learn from – some of these stories will never be forgotten and are both a source of happiness and pain.

Linda Ford

Worcester