Reflections of 32 years of service

As the Hospice celebrates its 38th birthday, our staff and volunteers have been taking some time to reflect on their memories working at the Hospice. Today, Kathryn tells her story as she marks 32 years of working at the Hospice.

This September, I will have worked at Saint Francis hospice for 32 years. I applied for a job at the Hospice because I wanted to help people who needed palliative care. This means caring and supporting people who have a life-limiting condition such as cancer, heart failure and lung disease. While palliative patients cannot be cured, their pain and symptoms can be managed so they can live as comfortably and independently as they can, for days, months or even years.

Before coming to the Hospice, I had been a registered nurse for 18 months and was working on an orthopaedic ward. A palliative patient was being cared for in a side room as this was the only single room free for him. I knew, although fairly inexperienced, that there was so much more that could be offered to the patient. I decided to find out more and the rest is history as they say.

I initially started working as a staff nurse on the ward and after a few years, I became the team leader. Later an opportunity came up to work with our community team. I started in a development post and then became a clinical nurse specialist. I enjoyed visiting patients in their own home and linking with their families, GPs, district nurses and carers.

Driving forward complementary therapy

A few years later, another opportunity arose for me to develop our small complementary therapy service. I had an interest in complementary therapy and how it can be so beneficial in palliative care. I've watched proudly as the service grew and moved from primarily volunteers to three staff posts working within the Therapies team.

Most recently, when the model for our therapeutic services changed, I became the manager of the Therapies Team which oversees our Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Complementary Therapy services in Pemberton Place.

Since managing this larger team, we have seen many changes and are continually improving the services we provide to the ward patients and the community patients with outpatient appointments and groups.

From way back in 1990, I knew that there was a place for supporting palliative patients how they want, where they want and when they want and Saint Francis Hospice provides the very best care. I am an avid supporter and am passionate about the wonderful holistic care that we are able to provide, not only to the patients, but to all those who are important to them.

I have so many memories from my years here so far, so many patients and families I have met along the way but the highlight will always be the end result, the holistic specialist palliative care we provide which is enabling people to live to the end of their lives.