Ninety-six patients, service users and carers were consulted about what makes a good nurse in an exercise designed to inform a Diploma in Nursing curriculum at the University of Nottingham, but the results are relevant across the nursing profession. Good communication, respect, appropriate appearance, attention to hygiene and detailed knowledge of patients' conditions and treatments were the areas that generated the most frequent comments. Participants give an insight into the experiences of care they had received and by implication provide a worrying indictment of current nursing practice. The authors recommend that the findings be used to inform nursing curricula and to highlight patient and carer needs for a quality nursing service.