Last Sunday was International Nurses Day and to mark the occasion, two nurses from Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading wanted to speak about their roles. They have shared their experience of working in palliative care and why working in a hospice can be ‘full of joy’, in the hope it inspires others to join them.
Annabelle Elliott from Reading says she hopes that by sharing her experience, she will inspire more Registered Nurses to get in touch to find out more about the benefits of pursuing a career with the palliative care and bereavement support charity.
“Even as a student nurse I always had a passion for palliative care, and I knew quite early on that I wanted to look after people towards the end of their life,” she says. “I firmly believe it is the greatest privilege you can have as a nurse.
“I knew a lot about Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice before I worked here because my grandad was cared for at the hospice 26 years ago, as was my husband’s grandma in 2020. I started working at the hospice just over a year ago and I absolutely love it.
“My role involves everything from looking after the patients and their families, making sure someone is comfortable and sometimes just sitting and holding their hand. The most rewarding part of my role is fulfilling someone’s last wish – we have had weddings, trips to the pub – every day you’re faced with something different.
“There is a common misconception that hospice care isn’t as skilled, but the reality is that it is very fast paced, but the difference is the patients don’t know that. For them, we make sure we are calm and they feel at ease.
“It’s anything but a depressing place to work, some days are sad, but a lot of the time they are full of joy as you are helping someone to live their final days the way they want to.”
Ellie Hawes from Beenham has recently joined the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice team. She started her healthcare journey later in life, as she only began working in palliative care in September.
“A lot of people think hospices are just about end-of-life care but they’re not at all, a lot of our patients come to us for symptom control and we help to manage their pain so they can return home again,” she says. “And when we are supporting someone towards the end of their life, we’re still not focusing on death, we’re encouraging them to live their last few days, whether that is by going outside or being with family and friends. The most rewarding thing we can do in our role is give someone a dignified end to their life.
“I think it’s important to celebrate all nurses this International Nurses Day. Every nurse in every healthcare setting does such incredible work. I also want to celebrate my amazing colleagues – a lot of people don’t understand why we work in palliative care, thinking we are surrounded by sadness, but we are not.”
For more details, log on to: www.sueryder.org
