Most people in Stockport will have the day off on Christmas Day. But for around 700 staff at Stepping Hill Hospital and in local community NHS services, this will still be a working day, when they will be will still be busy, ensuring local people get the care they need over the festive period.

One of these is Yemi Bada, a senior night sister Stepping Hill Hospital. She will be on site and on call, at the end of what she calls the ‘almighty bleep’, ready to oversee nursing services for all manner of queries during the night periods at both the start and the end of Christmas Day.

Yemi has been a nurse at Stepping Hill for over twenty years, and has worked over more Christmases than she can remember. As a night sister, she is used to working at a time when others are at rest.

Yemi says she’s always happy to help out her colleagues during the festive period. Yemi says “Unlike many of my colleagues I don’t drink, so maybe it’s easier for me! I’m glad I can give them that support to help them with their time off.”

The queries Yemi may be responding to from ‘almighty bleep’ can be very varied, ranging from care problems to bed management issues. They can take her all over the hospital from medical and surgery wards to the emergency department, so may be seeing a variety of different colleagues and patients.

She says colleagues always do their best to make the period a happier one for patients.

Yemi says “I think we do what we can for our patients during this time, and I’ve seen a lot of joy in the hospital over Christmas Day over the years. I have my own celebrations for Christmas with my family on New Years Eve and Day instead, which I’ll be looking forward to over the period.”  

We`d like to say a big thank you to Yemi and all of our other staff who are working over the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.