No one told me

I arrived at work just before 2.00p.m. and clocked in. I then checked the duty allocation to see where I was working so that I could report to the floor. I went to the nursing station to wait for the nurse on duty to come and give me a handover which went something like this:
Nurse: Hello. So you are working here today.
Myselft: Hello. Yes, I am working here today.

Nurse: Have you recently worked here before?
Myself: Yes I have, actually.

Nurse: So you know the residents well then.
Myself: Yes pretty much unless somebody's condition has changed.

Nurse: Oh, well, you know your way around so I don't need to tell you much.
Myself: Okay. Is there anything I need to know that needs doing urgently? (I look into the diary just in case something has been missed and find that two service users need to go for a group activity). Oh, looks like two people need to get ready for their group. Are they ready yet?
Nurse: I didn't know. Who are they? Let's check
(she quickly looks into the diary and without saying a word starts walking towards one of the service user's rooms and I follow suit. She then tells me to check if they need changing before sitting them on the wheelchair ready for the activities team to collect them. This I gladly did).

That was all. I went ahead and got the service user to toilet then on the wheelchair and the other one did not need a wheelchair so I just checked that they were okay.

Later I spoke to the tea lady (she normally has the title feeder/carer because she helps with laying the tables, tidying up the kitchen, making tea and coffee, filling in water jugs and making sure everyone has a drink). Afterwards, I got on with the usual routine. We were supposed to be two carers but I was the only one. I was starting to get tired because I was answering all the bells, hoisting people to bed and really doing the afternoon jobs by myself. I was not complaining but I just wondered if I was on my own (as sometimes happens) so that I can plan my afternoon well. After a while, I asked the nurse where the other carer was and she told me that the carer had gone for a training session and would be back at around 4.45p.m.

Why wasn't I told? Surely I am not a mind reader to know things just like that. I told the nurse that she should have told me. She looked apologetic and said that because I had done all the afternoon jobs I should leave some for my colleague when she returned. I did not agree with that because this meant leaving one of the service users up until 5.00p.m yet the service user was so tired and needed to go to bed. I chose to put the service user's needs first - a move which shocked the nurse. She probably thought that I would moan about it. But I did not. I was quite happy to do my bit.

As I was finishing hoisting her, the other carer arrived and the rest of the shift went well without a hitch. The nurse in question was one of the new nurses and she was supernumerary. The main nurse whom she was shadowing was 'busy' with paperwork and making phone calls and usually she does not help with basic care skills and this is not something new so I usually just don't bother with her otherwise I could end up getting so stressed out and ruining my energy levels all for nothing.

I did my best to make things normal in the absence of the other carer but at the end of the day, no one told me.