Liz Alderton, a regular voice on Radio 4, discusses why a bad report on her first placement didn’t crush her enthusiasm for nursing

What is your job?

I am a district nurse based in Harold Hill, a large housing estate in north east London. I manage a team of 22, comprising band six and five nurses and healthcare assistants, and I run a caseload totalling more than 500 patients across the team. We visit anyone over the age of 16 who requires nursing at home. Typically, care includes health promotion, long-term conditions’ care, postoperative care, wound management, intravenous therapy, palliative and end of life care. We are integrated with therapists and community matrons and are co-located with social services staff, working closely with GP staff, care staff, specialist nurses, hospices and the voluntary sector.