Golden opportunities.
Central Manchester Health Authority has turned nurse specialism into something of an art form. They boast among their staff a specialist in rheumatology, one in epilepsy and another in urology. The source of these developments, according to respiratory care nurse Christine Bell, was the highly successful Manchester Diabetes Centre which opened in 1988. The outpatient services manager at Manchester Royal Infirmary was so impressed by this work that there was a great incentive to expand the idea. When Christine was first interviewed, just over two years ago, she and her colleagues were, to some extent, able to decide for themselves which areas they wanted to work in. Respiratory medicine had always been a particular interest of Christine's, especially the management of asthma, where she knew there was a need.