SKIN nurse Carol Mills-Field is finally enjoying building relationships with her patients.

For years, the former anaesthetics nurse worked in a job where the public could never remember who she was.

But now she has joined Darlington Primary Care Trust's dermatology and minor operations service (Dams), she is enjoying getting to know her patients.

"You could spend an hour talking to hospital patients after they came round and they would never remember you because of the effects of the anaesthetics," the dermatology staff nurse said.

"Here it is much more friendly and I can actually get to know my patients. I have wanted to work in the community for some time and it's a nice small team and a really great facility."

Miss Mills-Field first trained as a nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital in 1991 after working in nursing homes.

"I used to pester the life out of the homes' nurses wanting to help and they suggested I go off and get trained, so I did," she said.

She worked at the hospital for 11 years but now spends two days a week on the Dams unit at Doctor Piper House, in King Street, and two-and-a-half days as a practice nurse at Parkgate Surgery.