“If I could describe the Hospice in three words, they would be special, caring and family oriented.
Meet Olivia who lives in St Albans with her family. She has been a registered nurse on our hospice inpatient unit (IPU) for 2.5 years. Her hobbies include reading, going to gigs/festivals and spending time with my friends and family.
She explains how she came to know of the Hospice… “I knew about the Hospice, as they cared for my grandad when I was a teenager. The nurses inspired me to take on a career in nursing. A few years after qualifying, I saw the Hospice were advertising for nurses online and so I applied for the job. I was previously a senior staff nurse on the inpatient unit but have recently changed roles and now am a bank staff nurse, still on the inpatient unit.
My role involves providing specialist palliative care to inpatients with a variety of life-limiting illnesses. I provide holistic care including symptom control, psychological support and end of life care. Patients’ families are very involved, and we support them as best as we can. I also provide advice to community patients over the phone out of hours.”
Describing her favourite part of her role, she shares, “Seeing how grateful patients and their families are when you have made even just a tiny difference to their lives, is so rewarding. My all-time favourite memory would be working a Christmas Day morning and seeing how happy the patients were with their stocking of presents and Christmas blankets.
The Hospice is great to work at because the team are like a family. We work together to make people comfortable when they have been struggling and to help families make memories. What people think of is a sad place is often filled with smiles.”
In conclusion, Olivia shares her favourite lunch to order from the kitchen… “Hmmm... It has to be the cheese toastie! My top pick every time.”
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