Meet Manisha, Educationalist and Therapist

Meet the lovely Manisha! To all those who know her, she is best known for being ‘dog mad’. She shares, “I love my 2 dogs Indie and Tots (…a little bit too much) and am passionate to talk about them to anyone who listens! I also love walking and swimming, eating yummy food and going on holidays!” 

Her three words for describing the Hospice are... ‘Engaging, serene and forward-thinking’. Here we find out more about her role and how she came to join our hospice family... 

“I  have been a physiotherapist for 22 years.  

I landed on my feet when I joined the Hospice 12 years ago. I have worked in all the clinical areas and with most of the teams both upstairs and downstairs. I now work with the Education team but keep my clinical role as I support patients living with Pulmonary Fibrosis (a progressive type of lung condition).  

I wear many different hats at the Hospice and none of them would probably be considered ‘traditional physiotherapy’ to most people. I am passionate about engaging with other healthcare professionals and sharing our knowledge on Palliative care, rehabilitation, communication and so much more, I mentor other staff to build their confidence with teaching, I support patients to ‘live well’ despite living with a long-term condition.  

I love working in a team, working in palliative care can be both heart-warming and heart breaking and I replenish my energy from my colleagues. I am so lucky to genuinely love my job and consider The Hospice of St Francis to be a very special place which I never take for granted.” She admits, “I hadn’t really known about the Hospice or understood what Palliative Care was about before joining the Hospice. 

My favourite part of the job is the diversity - I can be teaching, supporting patients, running a group or researching for future education sessions! My favourite memory... the office laughter and banter, when you are crying with laughter, but you don’t really know why! 

Lastly, Manisha shares her favourite lunch... “I normally order sandwiches but love the carvery ham and mustard!  I am in love with the cakes and treats that the kitchen produce for special occasions!”