From the Royal London Archives, Jonathan Evans gives us this fascinating story

about Joseph's real Nurse Ireland, whose first name was Emma (yes, another Emma!)
Apparently "Nora" was a fictional name from the EM screenplay.

She's mentioned in an article about a gold plague medal awarded to London Hospital
nurses who were serving in Hong Kong during a plague epidemic.

Notice the interesting dates in her life:

"One of the recipients of the medal, Emma Gertrude Ireland (1857 � 1898), has a
poignant life story. She entered the London Hospital School of Nursing in March
1886 at the age of 29, having previously worked at St. Pancras Infirmary. She
became Sister in Blizard Ward [then a surgical ward at The London] in 1888 and
resigned to go to Hong Kong, (to take up a post as Sister), leaving in July 1890.

Three months earlier, she was one of the last persons to see Joseph Merrick (the
Elephant Man) alive, when she came to see how he was on the morning of Friday 11
April 1890. (The very last person to see Merrick alive was the ward maid who
brought him his lunch at 1.30pm the same day.)
Emma had been on duty in Cotton ward when Joseph Merrick was first admitted to the
London in 1886. She died of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in May 1898."
{Jonathan Evans, Archivist, Royal London Hospital)

Truly a devoted nurse, who gave her life serving humanity.

And she knew Joseph from his first day at the LH to his last. Surely she must have
learned his speech well and had many wonderful conversations with him. Perhaps they
talked about her going away someday to serve humanity in a far corner of the
empire.

There's definitely a story here!

And sadly, here is the notice in medical press about "Sister Gertude" as she was
known then, and "Sister Frances."

1898 Plague in Hong Kong�Two nursing sisters have died from the plague in Hong
Kong. A plague patient in delirium coughed in the face of Miss Elizabeth Frances
Higgin (Sister Frances) on April 2oth; on the 25th she became ill, and was found
suffering from bubonic plague, the worst form of the disease. She died on April
29th. The sister who attended her, Miss Emma Gertrude Ireland (Sister Gertrude),
was admitted to the hospital May 2d. The next morning the typical bacilli were
found; she died May 5th. Both these sisters served through the plague epidemic of
1894.

http://www.rlhleagueofnurses.org.uk/Education/RLH_Archives/Plague/plague.html

The article states that she was the last person to see Merrick alive but we know
now it was actually the wardmaid at 1:30. Still, Nurse Ireland would have spoken to
him and perhaps helped him start his day.