WHAT a difference one person can make.

Specialist nurse Cath Pearson, who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital, has made the life of many of her patients a lot easier thanks to one simple idea -- a helpline.

Patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel conditions can phone the 24-hour helpline where their worries and queries will be answered. If necessary, they can call into one of the hospital's clinics.

It saves them having to wait for an appointment with their family doctor and then being referred to the hospital.

Cath's efforts to make life easier for her patients has paid off after the hospital waiting list was slashed from eight weeks to five days. In recognition of her dedication, the inflammatory bowel disease nurse has received a Nursing Standards excellence award and a nurse achievement award from the hospital.

And this month she was picked out as one of a hundred "Women of the Achievement" by Esther Rantzen and was featured in a national newspaper.

Cath, aged 31, from Wigan, who is one of just seven specialist nurses in the country, said: "It might just be general worries they have or they might be having a flare-up of their condition, but it is great patients feel they can pop in.

"It is usually the younger ones who pop along but we have developed good relationships with patients who can talk openly to us.

"All of our patients are always telling us never to take away the phone line and it has been great to see the confidence of some patients grow as they get used to having Crohn's disease or other conditions."

In the past, patients would have to go to their GP, then get a referral to the hospital or even change their medication themselves, as to how they saw fit.

The new system means those patients who often can not wait until their next routine clinic appointment can telephone the helpline for advice and reassurance.

It came about after Miss Pearson held focus groups with patients and discovered they felt access to the hospital was poor.

She said: "We also decided to have a nurse-led team because many patients felt they could talk more openly to nurses who are seen as a bit more of a friendly face than doctors."

Miss Pearson, aged 31, from Wigan, joined the Royal Bolton Hospital four years ago as a sister on the ward she now works on. Two years ago the opportunity came to train as a specialist nurse and she trained in the departments for six months. She now works with three consultants.

People suffering from Crohn's disease, or other inflammatory bowel conditions, usually have increased bowel frequency, weight loss, feel very tired and have pain in their stomach.