title: Family matters.
abstract: Helping relatives cope with the stress and practical difficulties of having a loved one in intensive care is the remit of senior nurses at James Cook University Hospital. Senior intensive care nurses take on the role of relatives' liaison nurse for two months at a time. They are entirely focused on the needs of relatives, having no clinical responsibilities. One of the most common needs relatives have is for temporary accommodation, as many live outside the area. The nurses accompany relatives when they speak to doctors so that they can reinforce information and explain further.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pearce
mesh_terms: D016638:Critical Illness; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D012944:Social Support; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom