Professional nursing bodies have long debated how best to train our nurses so that they have the mix of skills they need to serve patients well. Jenny Clayton follows a variety of nurses in training, to explore the purpose and future of nursing in the modern NHS.

In this second programme, Jenny meets nurses at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, who have carried on their training since they first qualified. She follows them as they reflect on their roles, from treating patients in A&E, to managing a complex care ward.

Ruth Palmer is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner, which means she's trained to diagnose and treat a range of injuries and illnesses - someone with a broken arm, for example, might be assessed, put in plaster and discharged by Ruth, without ever seeing a doctor. "Some people don't want to be seen by 'just a nurse', but that's fine, that's their choice. Quite often the queue for the doctor's twice as long, but that's fine if that patient wants to see a doctor. But that very rarely happens."

Caroline Ashton is Ward Manager of a Complex Care Ward, which deals with patients with long term chronic conditions. "I'm probably known on the ward as the person that baths the most patients, because I think that's the time you have the opportunity to find out how the patient is."

Meanwhile, there's a shortage of nurses across the country. In the year to March 2014, hospitals in Essex spent £18 million on agency staff. We hear from a former nurse who left Princess Alexandra ten years ago, but who's now completed a Return to Practice course - part of an initiative to draw on the pool of nursing talent not currently working in the field.

Producer: Hannah Marshall
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4. Show less