A nurse who has served 20 years in the NHS has been recognised for her empathetic approach to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients and families.

Michelle Fitzpatrick is the latest healthcare worker at Medway Maritime to be shortlisted for the Hospital Hero Award.

Though she has been a nurse for two decades, Michelle says she was “a bit of a late developer” having switched from a job in payroll.

She said: “It was the death of my grandmother that made me go into it – it wasn’t a good experience and I thought, I could actually do a good job.”

The mum, who has worked in Medway’s ICU for the past six years, feels very protective of the people she looks after.

“When someone is passing away there are no second chances. It has to be right because this is something that sticks with the relatives,” she added.

“Having lost family members myself, I know what it means to somebody.”

Michelle was nominated for the KentOnline-sponsored Hospital Hero category of the hospital’s Star Awards by the family of a patient she had cared for.

The relatives said she washed their loved one’s hair, sprayed her with perfume and sorted keepsake memory boxes in her last moments.

Speaking after, Michelle said: “It means the world. It’s very humbling that someone has taken the time out to write something so touching at probably one of the worst times of their life.

“Just because we can’t fix everybody we can still make a difference even if it’s towards the end of their life.”

Last week, we shared how fellow nominee Dr Saadia Shah, a gynaecologist, stepped in after her shift ended to save a mother’s life.

The week before we told the story of nominee Emily Brown, who is the world’s first hospital-based namaste care practitioner.

We will be publishing details of the other nominees over the next weeks.

The winner will be announced at a special ceremony on June 13.